


Seasons to Remember

by germankitty



Category: Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: Don't Post To Another Site, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, OFCs - Freeform, OMCs - Freeform, Other Canon Characters - Freeform, Post-Canon Fix-It, repost
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2002-12-10
Updated: 2003-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 56,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/germankitty/pseuds/germankitty
Summary: InPower Rangers Zeo, the Christmas Special episode and unofficial season finale was titled "A Season to Remember" (PR Zeo #29, 1996). Along with a message of tolerance and acceptance, it showed Tommy and Kat in their old age, as a married couple, with a son and grandson. What wedidn'tsee was how they got to that point and how they truly celebrated the holidays with their family. So ... what if they took all their children and grandchildren on a walk down Memory Lane, telling them about a long and sometimes twisted path with many ups and downs, about failures and triumphs and of loves found and lost and found again?This is that story.
Relationships: Katherine Hillard/Jason Lee Scott, Katherine Hillard/Tommy Oliver, Kimberly Hart/Tommy Oliver





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers don’t belong to us ... they belong to someone else, whether it’s Saban or BVE or some other media-owner types. However, there are lots of characters in here who do belong to us, so no borrowing without asking. Also, we’re not making any profit on this (darn! We could've used the extra cash for Christmas!).
> 
> This story evolved out of a discussion about the fact that we don’t like PR Canon as shown in two episodes of PR: Zeo -- namely, breaking up Tommy and Kim (ep. #15) and Kat being Tommy's wife (ep. #29), Cheryl's most loathed episodes.
> 
> It needed to be fixed. 
> 
> However, we're also canon-whores at heart -- so, how could we have both our OTPs (Tommy/Kim for Cheryl, Jason/Kat for me) while still ending up with Tommy and Kat together in a plausible manner? This is our attempt to marry our visions of PR-dom with the ending of the episode.
> 
> Just some other little notes. We’ve used real life events where it suited us ( _ie._ Thuy Trang/Trini’s death) and left them alone for the same reason ( _ie._ Erik Frank/David’s death). The stories are presented in a mix of chronological and/or thematic order ... basically, a family’s rambling trip down memory lane.
> 
> Thanks to our Muses Zoot and Ted for latching onto this idea and running with it. It’s been a fun ride. 
> 
> Anything else? No? Then on with the show. **CR & DB, 2002/2003**

****

### Co-authored with Cheryl Roberts

****

**Reposted with her permission**

They were no longer young, the couple walking sedately along the paths of Angel Grove Cemetery this Christmas Eve of 2044. 

The man's once mahogany-colored hair was now a dignified gray. Though old, his carriage was still tall and proud. The only thing to have ever bowed those shoulders which once carried the fate of the world was grief. 

The woman was still tall and slender, silvery-blond locks having turned to pure silver with time. Her blue eyes, which used to look at the world with so much wonder, had dimmed a little, but despite tragedy and loss in her life still held a distinct sparkle. 

They made several stops, to bring holiday greetings to the graves of parents, relatives and friends, before they reached their first destination – Jason's last resting place. Husband and best friend, almost-brother … dead these nineteen years. 

After a few minutes of silent communion, the man smiled briefly at the woman, then went off on his own, leaving her alone with her dead love … on his way to his own special gravesite, a couple of fields over. 

**~o0o~**

Katherine watched Tommy walk off slowly towards Kimberly's grave, the wreath he'd chosen dangling from his hand. His gait was still purposeful, if not quite as energetic as it used to be. Then again, they both weren't twenty anymore; just two somewhat-past-middle-aged folks mourning their spouses while their grown children waited for them to join them for Christmas dinner. For once, all five of their children would be home in Angel Grove for the holidays, along with their husbands and wives and an assortment of grandchildren. Kat could hardly wait to see them all. 

First of all, though, there was something she had to get off her chest. 

Just now, she and Tommy had said their hellos to Jason together, and she would join him in a little while to visit Kim as well, but for now she was grateful that Tommy granted her this private time with the love of her life while he went to be with his deceased wife. She bent to adjust the poinsettia arrangement she always brought – ever since that first year. The vibrant red of the top leaves always reminded her of Jason … 

"It's just me now, love," she murmured, finding comfort as usual in the quiet – if one-sided – conversation with Jason. In her mind, she could always picture his reactions, or even hear his deep voice comment when something was troubling her. For years, she'd told no-one of this habit she'd developed, fearing that others would think she'd gone mad with grief, but when after Kimberly's death Tommy confessed to doing much the same thing … she was able to shrug and dismiss those concerns. It helped both of them to cope with their loss, so why shouldn't they continue? 

"The kids have all come home this year, and I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time. If only you could still be there to share it … but fate decided otherwise for us, didn't it? I'm just grateful for the time we _did_ have together. Those were the best years ever …" Kat let her voice trail off nostalgically, feeling her eyes grow moist, then recovered herself. 

"I have something to tell you, Jason," she went on, feeling herself actually blush. "I hope you're not going to get mad at me or anything, but … I mean, it's been a long time since you left me, and with Oliver having moved to LA, Lynne married and Jared busy in Colorado Springs with the US Figure Skating Association, I've been so lonely in our house … and Tommy's lonely too, now that Kim's gone … 

"The children do what they can to visit us whenever possible, and there's work, yes, but … there are still a lot of desolate evenings and endless nights to go through when I wish for nothing more than someone to hold me. Of course I still want it to be _you_ , but …" Kat swallowed the small lump in her throat that still formed whenever she thought about losing Jason – even after all the years that had passed. "Anyway, what I want to tell you is this … Tommy and I have realized that while we will always continue to love you and Kim, we also care a great deal about each other. And life is just easier to bear when you have someone to share it with."  
Kat's voice, which still carried a hint of her native Australian accent despite having spent the better part of her life in the USA, dwindled down to a mere whisper. 

"Tommy has asked me to marry him, love. And I've said yes."

**~o0o~**

Tommy had reached Kim's gravesite. He stooped to place a festive wreath on the cold marble headstone.

"Merry Christmas, Beautiful," Tommy murmured, his fingers tracing the carved lettering. 

**Kimberly Ann Oliver**  
**1979 to 2041**

"You always loved Christmas," he went on reflectively, "and a lot of special things happened to us around the holidays. I guess that’s why I come now instead of on your birthday or the anniversary of your death. 

"So many things ...." His voice trailed off, and a smile touched his age-worn face. "You know, in spite of my faulty memory, I can still remember that Christmas at the Youth Center – the one before you left for Florida. We were both so happy ... so in love ... we thought nothing would keep us apart. Not Florida, not Paris ... what did we know? We were only seventeen – and you can’t tell teenagers anything they don’t want to hear!" 

A soft chuckle of laughter filled the cool December air. "For a while there, after that letter you sent me, I thought we’d never get to have our happily ever after. But I guess we were meant to be together after all. Fate just has a funny sense of timing .... 

"I miss you, Beautiful; my life without you has been so empty – at least, until recently." Absently, he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Do you remember the time you told me that Kat and I made a good couple? I hope you really meant that and weren’t just saying it to be brave, because I’ve asked Kat to marry me, and she’s said yes. 

"I’m not trying to replace you," he said quickly. "Nor Kat Jason. It’s just that we both need each other. And it’s not just to keep the loneliness at bay. It’s hard to explain ... it just feels right that she and I should get together now. 

"I just hope you understand and give us your blessing," he concluded with a heartfelt sigh. 

"She has, Tommy; I can feel it," Kat murmured as she joined her husband-to-be. "Just as Jason gave us his." She smiled down at her long-time friend’s grave. "Don’t worry, Kim; I’ll take good care of him." 

Then, she stepped back, allowing Tommy a little more time for private reflection. There had been a time when she, too, needed just a few extra minutes ... times when it was hard to tear herself away. Tommy was just beginning to reach the point where it wasn’t so hard to say good-bye. 

She waited until he appeared to be ready, then said, "It’s getting late, Tommy; Jay and Lynne are expecting us, and they’re liable to send out a search party if we don’t show." 

Tommy smiled up at her, then turned his attention back to Kimberly’s grave. "Good-bye, Beautiful." 

Raising his fingers to his lips, he then touched them to the name engraved in marble. Then, he rose, knees creaking a bit, and walked to the path where Kat waited. Linking his arm with hers, they headed back to the car. 

"You know," he began, "I was just thinking how lucky we are to have known two such incredible people." 

"You mean you hadn’t realized that before now?" Kat teased him gently. She laughed when he made a face at her. 

"No, I mean, every time we’ve needed a second chance in life, Kim and Jason were the ones who gave it to us." 

Kat frowned, not quite following his train of thought. 

"Jason gave me a chance to redeem myself after he’d broken Rita’s spell on me by offering me his friendship and a place on the team ..." 

"… just as Kimberly gave me another chance after I shook off Rita's hold on me by entrusting me with her powers when she went to Florida," Kat concluded for him, understanding at last. 

"She gave her and I another shot after I knew the truth about the letter and realized that I still loved her in spite of everything." 

"And Jason was the man I fell in love with, after you and I didn't work out." 

"Now they've given us their blessing for a second chance at happiness between the two of us." 

"They have, haven't they," Kat agreed with a gentle smile. "Of course, we've given each other the gift of second chances as well …" 

"Like when you healed my heart when Kim first broke up with me." 

"And when you were there for me all those years after Jason died." 

"Then let's not squander this wonderful gift and make the most of our second chances," Tommy suggested, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. 

At the car, he opened Kat’s door and helped her in. Once he was settled in the driver’s seat, Kat asked him, "How long do you think it’ll take to get to Jay and Lynne’s from here?" 

"With holiday traffic, it’s hard to say. Why?" 

"Will we have enough time to figure out how to break the good news to the kids?" 

"Hmm ... good point. We may have to drive around the block a few times."


	2. 1. Home for Christmas

_"I'll be home for Christmas;  
You can count on me.  
Christmas Eve will find me  
Where the love-light gleams.  
I'll be home for Christmas  
If only in my dreams." _

Carolyn Hilary Oliver was humming the nearly 100-year-old song softly to herself as she put the finishing touches on the large, festively-decorated dining table. For once, truly everybody in the family _would_ be home – and was coming to her house this Christmas Eve. 

Well ... not quite everybody. The surviving grandparents would come on Christmas Day, for a more quiet gathering, and of course two places would remain empty that hadn't been filled in ages – Jason and Kimberly's, her father and mother-in-law respectively. Quickly the pretty brunette dabbed at her eyes; even after so long, she still missed both. But at least Mama Kat and Uncle Tommy would be there; as usual, they were visiting the cemetery first. 

Meanwhile, the Oliver and Scott children plus their respective spouses were busily preparing food, stacking presents under the tree and generally making themselves useful. The next generation was out caroling in the neighbourhood, but were expected back any minute now. Lynne smiled to herself as she surveyed her handiwork. 

_"Please have snow and mistletoe  
And presents on the tree."_

"Only two out of three, love," her husband Jason David teased as he passed her with the bowl of eggnog – alcohol-free, so that the children could try it, too. There was another, proper adults-only batch in the kitchen pantry for later. "No snow in Angel Grove." 

"That's enough for me," Lynne laughed. "I'm just glad everybody could make it here tonight. I only hope it won't be too much for Ricky," she worried. "He's awfully small for such a big party." Her youngest son, an unexpected but much-loved late addition to the household, slept upstairs in his cot, all of three months old. 

"He'll be fine," Jay assured her, stealing a quick kiss. And not a sprig of mistletoe in sight. 

"You hope." 

"Well ... yeah," he grinned sheepishly. "Any sign of the brood yet?" 

"No. Nor of Mom and Uncle Tommy. Do you think they're alright?" 

"Positive. Dad is still a pretty good fighter for his age, and Aunt Kat will make sure they're on time." 

The family relations were a bit complicated – rather inevitable, when one's nominal aunt (or uncle) also happened to become one's mother (or father) -in-law. For simplicity's sake, they had stuck to the familiar form of address when they got married. 

"I'm just glad that Mom has managed to cheer your Dad up again lately." Lynne commented. "I was really worried about him last year, he was so depressed." 

"Yeah – they've been good for each other, haven't they? Going out to dinner, doing stuff together … if they weren't our parents, I'd say it was almost like they were dating or something," he teased. 

"As if! You know very well that neither would even look at someone else, they loved Dad and Aunt Kim so," his loving wife scoffed. 

Just then, a car stopped in front of the house, and childish shouts of "Grandma! Grampa!" could be heard, along with a rush of thundering feet. 

"They're here," Katrina Michelle DeSantos called from the front parlor; she didn't wait for her brother Jay but simply threw the door open wide. 

"Merry Christmas, Dad! You too, Aunt Kat!" 

"Merry Christmas, Trini." Setting a large box unobtrusively down near the hallway table, Tommy smiled at his daughter. She was just as enthusiastic about the holiday as Kim ever was ... looked a lot like her, too, even if she was about three inches taller than his beloved wife had been. He swallowed the lump of pain that threatened to lodge in his throat. Three years since she had died, and he _still_ missed her. 

A soft hand on his arm drew him out of his momentary funk. He glanced up to meet compassionate blue eyes framed by silvery-grey locks. "It's okay, Tommy," Kat murmured. "I miss Jason, too." 

He patted her hand. "I know. Thanks for understanding, Kat." 

"You were there for me when he died; how can I do anything but return the favor?" she murmured back, then let herself be drawn inside by the children – his and her grandchildren, and in the case of Scott, Lynne and Jay's firstborn, both. Inside, the rest of their offspring were waiting – Oliver William Scott and his wife Jasmine, daughter of Adam and Tanya Park. Jared Taylor Scott and his lively redheaded wife Rachel, daughter of Will Cranston and Consuelo DeSantos, Rocky's youngest sister. Trini and her husband Ramon DeSantos, making Rachel her sister-in-law twice over. Among them, a total of seven grandkids so far, with the youngest being Ricky – Richard Adam Oliver. 

"No, don't look in there yet, kids," Kat gently removed curious hands from the box and shopping bags she and Tommy had brought. "Yes, there're presents inside, but you know Santa won't allow us to open them until after dinner." 

A chorus of disappointed "Awwwwwws" answered her, but she remained adamant, giving them a slightly stern, patently discouraging look. It proved enough. There were a few long faces, though, as the inquisitive bunch reluctantly obeyed. 

"Why don't you go help your moms?" Kat suggested. "The sooner dinner's ready, the sooner you'll get to know what Santa has left at grandpa's and my house …" 

"Awright! Come on, guys!" Scott led the rush towards the kitchen, followed by amused glances from the adults. 

"How do you do that?" Oliver asked as he helped Kat out of her fleecy dove-grey coat. "They never listen to me that well." 

His mother smiled serenely, smoothing down her hair in front of the mirror. 

"Practice, dear. Practice." 

"I knew you'd say that," her oldest son grumbled good-naturedly. "You've been saying it for as long as I can remember." 

"And you still don't remember?" Kat said archly. "Then I guess I'll go on repeating myself for a while yet …" 

"Give it up, Bro," Jay laughed at his best friend. "You know you can't win against Aunt Kat!" 

Tommy straightened the collar of his pullover shirt and cast her a wry glance as the rest of their offspring grinned at Oliver. "You're really enjoying your role as family matriarch, aren't you?" 

"But of course," Kat replied, a twinkle in her eyes. "One of the few advantages of reaching a higher age than others in the family." 

"Oh? So have I; what does that make me?" 

She took his arm, preparatory to walking into the living room. Her wedding band glinted golden in the lamplight, and Kat smiled to herself, thinking of a jeweller's box tucked away in her handbag. She'd show the contents later, after they'd broken the news to their children and when the grandchildren would be occupied with their presents. 

"Old?" she said, tongue in cheek 

General laughter drowned out Tommy's mock-enraged sputter.

**~o0o~**

Dinner was a huge success with everyone, and the four young women beamed proudly at the compliments being generously showered on them by their husbands and parents. Lynne was still recovering from her son's birth, so food preparation had been a joint effort by all of them. The children had torn through the wrappings of their presents, handed out gifts to their elders, and were now happily ensconced in Scott's room, reading, playing, and whatnot while the young men took care of cleanup.

With a satisfied sigh, Kat leaned back in her armchair. "This is nice," she commented, accepting a cup of coffee from Jasmine with a nod of thanks. "Being able to sit like this, not having to freeze leftovers, load the dishwasher … never mind all the cooking! Not that I'm complaining, I loved doing it for you kids, but Christmas always was a very busy time for me." 

"You usually were running around like a headless chicken, too, because of the recitals you used to put up the day before Christmas with your ballet classes," Tommy reminded her somewhat ungallantly. He was slightly put out because his son, son-in-law and Kat's boys had firmly locked him out of the kitchen as well. _'Go and entertain the ladies, Dad,'_ Jay had told him in no uncertain terms. _'We'll manage.'_ Just because last year he'd broken two plates of Lynne's favourite china set … he'd replaced them right after New Year's, too! What did it matter if the colour of the glaze didn't match one-hundred percent? 

"Dad!" Trini protested. "You can't say that to Aunt Kat!" 

"It's not very nice," Jasmine agreed, her almond-shaped eyes laughing. With her café-au-lait skin and delicate Asian features, she was like an exotic flower in the group of lovely young women surrounding him. 

"Typical for the men in this family, I'd say," redheaded Rachel huffed, exaggerating only slightly. "Tell me, Aunt Kat – did Jared learn his lack of tact from the guys, from Uncle Tommy here, or did they all rub off of each other?" 

Lynne grinned and winked at her mother. "Oh, definitely the latter, I'd say. After all, Uncle Tommy is still one of the boys at heart, isn't he?" 

Kat's lips twitched with barely-hidden amusement. She loved the easy banter, so full of affection, that her and Tommy's family shared. "No comment," she said. 

"Aw Mom, that's a copout!" 

"No copout, Sweetie. Just bearing in mind that Tommy is providing my ride home." 

"Sassy _and_ materialistic. A fine mother you've raised, Lynne," Tommy mock-grumbled, causing the next round of laughter. To tell the truth, he was beginning to rather enjoy being surrounded by five beautiful women, being waited on with fresh coffee and sitting on a comfortable couch. _Much better than drying dishes after all,_ he admitted silently to himself. 

By and by, the young men finished in the kitchen and drifted back, bearing plates with cookies and a cake Kat had provided over her daughter's protest – but the nut roll was an old family recipe that had emigrated with her family from England to Australia and then to the USA; she was not giving up on that tradition until she had to. 

"Ah, this is the life," Jay moaned contentedly, stretching out his long legs as he half-leaned, half-sat in the same chair as his wife. "Good food, work all done, great company … what more can a guy want?" He beamed impartially at his family. 

"More coffee?" Ramon asked dryly, refilling his brother-in-law's cup. "You guzzle that stuff like Oliver's car does oil!" 

"Not anymore," the oldest Scott said complacently. "I had the oil pump fixed last week." 

"Can't we try that with Jay?" Jared inquired slyly. "I'll gladly chip in!" 

"Me, too," Ramon added. 

Oliver grinned. "Somehow I doubt that Jay's bottomless pit can be fixed for only $68,79." 

Kat's silvery laughter rang over the others'. "You know, Ramon and Rachel, that's what we used to call Rocky," she reminisced fondly. "That boy could eat like nobody else when we were still in high school!" 

"Yes, as if food was in danger of going out of fashion the next day," Tommy added with a grin. "We used to tease him a lot about that." 

"Really? I'll have to ask Tio Rocky about some of _your_ youthful misdemeanours one of these days," Rachel mused. "Dad never tells me anything; he just smiles to himself in a way that I just _know_ he's thinking of some really juicy stuff, but he just won't talk!" 

"Billy always knew how to keep his mouth shut," Tommy murmured to Kat under his breath. She nodded, put on her most angelic expression and met her offspring's enquiring looks blandly. 

"Indeed. Besides, who says there is anything to tell about us at all?" 

"There must be!" Oliver insisted. "I just can't believe that a group of friends that included Uncle Rocky, Uncle Zack and Aunt Aisha does _not_ have some pretty good things to pass on!" 

Trini spoke up without thinking. "If Mom were still here, this is where she'd get out her photo albums for some show-and-tell," she recalled. "I used to love that part of Christmas – almost as much as my presents!" Too late, she remembered why and when that tradition had been discontinued – three years ago, after Kimberly's death. Tommy just hadn't been able to face it without breaking down. 

She raised stricken eyes to her father. "Dad, I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I …" 

Tommy's laughter had faded at the reminder of what he'd lost, but this time, he recovered quickly. Reaching out, he patted Trini's knee. "It's alright, baby," he murmured. "It still hurts, yes, but I don't mind. Much, anyway." He drew a deep breath, glancing surreptitiously at Katherine, who gave him an encouraging nod. "As a matter of fact, I've been thinking about that as well recently, and … well, if you kids don't mind, we can resurrect that tradition today and go through the albums together. I've brought a few," he added almost diffidently. 

There was a moment of general silence, then Jay looked fully at his father. "I'd like that a lot, Dad," he said quietly. "Like Trini said, it was one of the best things about Christmas." 

"Tell me where you left the albums, and I'll get them," Oliver offered. He usually wasn't particularly keen on taking a walk down memory lane, preferring to live in the present rather than in the past, but he'd loved Aunt Kim, too, and if it would help Uncle Tommy cope with his loss, he wasn't going to argue. Besides, his own mother liked looking at old pictures as well. 

"They're in the trunk of my car." Tommy tossed his keys to Oliver, who caught them deftly. 

"Right." Quickly, he went to fetch the mementoes. 

"When did Aunt Kim start this tradition, anyway?" Ramon wanted to know. 

"I think that was my doing," Kat interjected. "Kim always was the one of us who loved to collect pictures, but when I gave her her first scrapbook with childhood pictures, the habit really took off. That was the year Jason died – that Christmas when you two fell in love," she added with a wink at Lynne and Jay. 

"How do you know that?" Lynne gasped, her blue eyes wide. 

"Because I saw you two kissing out on the porch." 

"Oh." Even twenty years after the fact, the realization that her mother had caught them smooching had the power to make Lynne blush. Jay just looked sheepish. 

"Oops." 

Thankfully, he was spared from more than a few snickers and rolled eyes by Oliver's return with an armload of cloth-bound albums. 

"Here we are," he said with a satisfied grin. "I even managed not to sneak a peek." 

"You wouldn't have known where to start, anyway," Tommy commented, quickly sorting the volumes into chronological order. He stacked them beside his seat, started to reach for the first, then hesitated. He looked up and across at Kat, who sat in the armchair next to him. She met his questioning glance serenely and nodded, laying her hand in his. He squeezed the slender fingers gratefully. 

Tommy swallowed, inhaled deeply, then let his eyes sweep the room. He looked especially intensely at Jay, Trini, Oliver, Lynne and Jared. 

"Before we begin," he started, "there's something we have to tell you." 

"What is it, Dad?" Trini asked, still a bit fearful her innocent recollection had hurt her father's feelings. 

"And who's we?" Oliver wanted to know, raising an eyebrow at the two slightly wrinkled hands resting entwined on the couch's armrest. 

"'We' is Tommy and I, hon," Katherine said calmly, her voice shaking slightly despite her best efforts at control. 

"As in, the two of you together?" Jared blurted, seeing the same thing his older brother did and drawing the right conclusion with astonishing speed. 

Lynne gasped as both Tommy and Kat nodded solemnly. It was only her father-in-law who answered, though. 

"Yes. Kat has agreed to become my wife." 

There was a moment of stunned silence, broken by a flabbergasted Jay. "You're getting MARRIED?!?!?" 

"Yes," Kat confirmed, her crystalline eyes shining with affection as she glanced at Tommy. "I hope you kids don't mind too much …" 

"Mind? I think it's wonderful," Jasmine gushed, surging towards her mother-in-law. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" 

Ramon and Rachel chimed in, adding their best wishes along with heartfelt hugs while the Scott and Oliver children just sat there, stunned and wide-eyed. This was something they hadn't expected. Not that they objected to their parents' choice of mates, but .. it was pretty sudden nonetheless, and would take time to get used to. Characteristically, Jay and Oliver recovered their wits first – and nearly simultaneously – when Kat's anxious blue eyes swivelled towards them over the dark heads of her children's spouses. 

"I … I think that … that's great," Jay murmured. "Unexpected, but … great." 

Oliver nodded firmly. He, of all his siblings, maybe knew best how hard his mother had been hit by Jason's untimely early death. He'd been the oldest, and while his sister had shared more of Kat's emotions than himself, he'd helped carry the family burden from that day onward. "Yeah. Terrific, in fact. I'm very glad for you guys," he declared staunchly. 

"Thank you all," Kat whispered, feeling a little weepy. "We were a little concerned about how you'd react." 

"You didn't think we'd yell and scream in protest, did you, Mom?" Jared queried, feeling his surprise slowly give way to a whole welter of emotions – wonder, gladness, and even a touch of relief. He'd been the last to move out of his childhood home, first for college, then quite a distance away when his career as a champion figure skater took him from California to Colorado, to the USFSA's national headquarters. Having followed in his mother's and Kimberly's footsteps, he'd been a Pan Global, even Olympic contender, won several medals and was doing quite well now as a choreographer and talent scout as well as performing on the pro circuit. 

"Well … yes," Kat admitted, an embarrassed blush staining her cheeks. "I wasn't sure you'd understand our decision." 

"Mom, anything that makes you happy is making _us_ happy, too," Oliver said warmly, giving her a hug. "To tell the truth, we were worried a bit about you staying all alone in the house. Now that you're going to be with Uncle Tommy, we know you'll be taken care of." 

That bit of filial overprotectiveness helped Kat regain her equilibrium. 

"Thanks a lot, Oliver. For your information, I can take care of myself – have done so for almost two decades – quite well," she said, a touch of exasperation in her voice. " _And_ the three of you, I might add! I'm not marrying Tommy because I'm some kind of damsel in distress, or a helpless little old lady!" 

Jasmine whapped her husband on the arm, shaking her head. "Don't mind him, Kat; we know you're not." 

"Why do you want to marry, Dad?" Jay asked, still somewhat dazed by the news. "I mean, Mom's been gone only three years …" 

"Three very long, very lonely years, son," Tommy murmured. "With you guys having your own lives, I was feeling kinda lost, as you know. Kat has helped me so much to get my life back on track … she's truly a wonderful person, always has been." He sent her a fond smile. "Can you blame me for wanting to hold on to her?" 

"Not at all," Trini declared firmly. "I'm with Oliver on this – if it makes you guys happy, I'm all for it. Let's face it, much as we might wish otherwise, Mom and Uncle Jason are _not_ coming back, ever, and it's your life to live. And if I have to have a stepmother at all, I can think of no-one I'd rather have than Aunt Kat!" 

"Oh good grief, yes," Jay exclaimed. "You'll not only be my mother-in-law, but my stepmother as well! And Dad'll be the same for Lynne … honey, we're being smothered in double-duty parents!" 

"Is that like double Oreos?" Ramon snickered irrepressibly, liking the thought. He'd heard some stories from his father, about how Kat and Tommy used to date each other before both marrying someone else … suddenly, he eyed the stack of photo albums with new, eager eyes. If the few times he'd experienced the tradition while Kim was still alive were any indication, there were bound to be some good stories hidden in their pages. 

"Is food all you can think about?" Rachel groaned, shooting her cousin a baleful glare. "After the huge dinner you just had, too! Here, have a cookie!" She shoved a brownie into his hand, and rolled her eyes when Ramon unrepentantly bit into it. 

"Well, maybe we should all be thinking not about food, but about drink," Lynne suggested, smiling at her mother. "Jay, I have some champagne on ice; will you get it? I think this calls for a toast." Her voice was a trifle unsteady, but the announcement _had_ come as something of a shock, after all. 

"Right! Come on, guys!" 

Within minutes, crystal flutes were filled with the sparkling wine. 

"To the happy couple!" 

Glasses clinked together, and more hugs and congratulations were exchanged when Tommy ceremoniously placed the ring Kat had carried in her purse on her finger. It was a narrow platinum band with a single diamond set in a triangular protrusion; it fit perfectly over the gold wedding band Jason had given her so long ago. 

"Not a replacement, but an addition," he explained softly, kissing Kat's hand. 

"That's how I feel, too," she replied with a smile. "Thank you." 

At last, everybody resumed their seats again, and Jared spoke up with a comical waggle of his eyebrows. 

"Before the girls get lost in wedding plans and stuff, can we please look at the pictures?" he wheedled. "After all, that's what we were going to do, right, before we got that bombshell dropped on us?" 

Four pairs of eyes zeroed in on him in various stages of outrage. "Jared, if I didn't need a footstool to reach that high, I'd pull your ears," his older sister chided. 

"I can throw him out of the chair to the ground, if you want," Rachel offered sweetly. She'd been an instructor at the Red Dragon dojo during her college days and perfectly capable of doing so. 

"Yeah, and I'll sit on him so he can't escape," Jasmine said, a challenging glint in her eyes that was very reminiscent of Tanya at her best. 

Lynne grinned. "I'll help, too." 

Jared pretended to flinch away and cowered in his chair. "Help, guys!" 

"Not on your life, kiddo," his older brother flatly refused, lips quivering with mirth. "My wife wants a shot at you, she's my guest!" 

"Yeah. You want to live dangerously, leave us out of it. We're way smarter than that!" Ramon nodded sagely, to his wife's derisive hoot. 

"Looks as if you're on your own. Tough luck," Jay commiserated with false piety. "He's all yours, ladies!" 

Jared sputtered in mock outrage, at the same time scooting back rapidly, out of harm's reach … only to bump into the dining table. His blue eyes grew faintly alarmed as the girls converged on him, retribution clearly on their minds. "Mom! HELP!"

**~o0o~**

Kat and Tommy listened to their children's bickering with secret amusement and long-suffering expressions. He couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Now that sounds familiar."

"Yes," Kat said dryly. "We've only been hearing it for the last thirty-plus years or so. Will it ever stop?" 

"Probably not," Tommy murmured, then raised his voice in a tone he usually reserved for the dojo – one Kat had heard more than once on the battlefield in her youth. It demanded instant obedience. 

"That's enough, kids." 

"Uh-oh. The Master's Voice has spoken," Oliver muttered to his best friend as they all went docilely back to their seats. Jay only grinned. When everybody had settled down again, Tommy cleared his throat, smiled briefly to show he wasn't angry, then reached for the first album. Opening it on the front page, he looked at the pictures pasted there. A reminiscent smile played around his mouth – it was a collage showing him with Kimberly before their break-up, then with Kat at the Prom shortly before she went to London, Jason and Emily at the Beach Club, Kat and Jason sharing a soft drink at a family cook-out, he and Kim again after their reunion, and lastly all four of them together, both women proudly displaying their engagement rings for the camera. 

"Oh my. There you have our relationship history in a nutshell," Kat chuckled, tapping a finger on the picture of herself and Jason. Even on the glossy cardboard, it was obvious that they had been lost in each other. "I hadn't even noticed someone was taking pictures!" 

"What do you mean, Mom?" Lynne asked, intrigued. "This is your Prom, right? Why were you dancing with Uncle Tommy? Wasn't Aunt Kim there? Or did she take the picture?" 

Her mother smiled. 

"Yes, because he was my date, no, and no," she answered all questions succinctly and in order. 

"Uncle Tommy was _your_ date for Prom?" Rachel wanted to know. "Why not Kim? I thought they'd been dating since sophomore year …" 

Tommy sighed, able now to laugh at the memory. 

"We were … only … you know that Kimberly went to Florida, to train for the Pan Global Games, at the beginning of senior year, right?" He waited for her nod, then continued. "Well … while she was there, something happened that made her break up with me …" 

"... and while trying to help Tommy through that, he and I became closer," Kat finished for him, summarizing those awkward, uncertain months when their relationship first blossomed. "By the time Jason had returned from Geneva, Tommy and I were a couple. Well, he asked me out on our first date shortly after," she amended. 

"What happened to split you guys up?" Oliver asked, noting how happy they looked in the pictures. "Was it Dad coming home?" 

"No, it was something that happened over time," Kat murmured, with a touch of sadness. She didn’t regret how things had turned out after all, but still .... 

"So when did you realize that things weren’t going to work out between you and Uncle Tommy?" Jared wondered.


	3. Choices

"When did I realize that things weren’t going to work out for Tommy and I?" Kat reiterated thoughtfully. "With the benefit of hindsight, I would have to say right around graduation." 

"But you guys went to the prom together!" Lynne protested. 

"And Mom told me once that you and Dad didn’t officially split up until the Summer of 2000," Trini interjected. She and Kim had discussed the difficult path her and Tommy’s relationship had taken once upon a time when Trini had experienced a rough patch with Ramon. 

"That’s right, but that was because we were too stubborn to let go," Kat continued. 

"At the time, I just couldn’t lose my relationship with Kat. I was still hurting from Kim breaking up with me, and I didn’t want to fail at love again," Tommy explained his motives. 

"And I had wanted a relationship with Tommy for the longest time," Kat revealed. "I’d had a crush on him since I’d first met him – but this was before I ever laid eyes on your father." 

"What happened, Mom?" Lynne asked. 

"You guys studied the Power Rangers in school, right?" Kat asked, testing the waters. 

"Yeah, we had a semester of local history in Mr. Washington’s class," Jared spoke up. 

"You know, then, that about the time Tommy and I finished high school that the Turbo Rangers had just replaced the Zeo Rangers." 

"Their nemesis was a space pirate named Divatox," Jay supplied helpfully. 

"She made her début in Angel Grove by kidnapping some civilians," Oliver added. 

Kat and Tommy traded secret smiles. How much of their boys’ knowledge had come from the classroom and how much had come from the Command Center archives? 

"The first two taken were not-quite friends of ours: Bulk and Skull – you guys know them better as Mr. Bulkmeier and Mr. Lovich," Tommy said. 

For those who had known them as teens, Bulk and Skull's success in their adult lives was quite surprising – especially to the twosome. Ever since Bulk – and his wife Tammy – started managing his café and the pool, he'd become very much a fixture with the youth of Angel Grove. The Oliver, Scott and DeSantos children hung out at his place as much as their parents had hung out at Ernie's. 

As for Skull ... his was probably the most unlikely success story of all. After graduating from High School, he'd tried his hand at a variety of jobs, finding contentment in none, until quite by chance he was 'discovered' as a musician. At Kat and Jason's wedding, no less. Now the former shiftless punk Eugene Skullovich was a respected pianist, going by Gene Lovich, and very much a local celebrity. 

"No way!" Ramon gasped. 

"Divatox’s next two victims were Kim and Jason," Kat murmured. She and Tommy were following the script that they had given out to their parents at the time. 

"You guys never told us that before!" Trini yelped. 

"It’s ... kind of hard to talk about," Tommy replied evasively. 

"The Rangers had to tell us ... It was horrible. It was like someone had torn open a hole in all our souls – but most especially Tommy’s," Kat went on. 

"Why Dad’s more so than anyone else’s?" 

"Because his best friend and the woman he still loved were in danger and there was nothing he could do to help them." 

"You knew Tommy was still in love with Kimberly even then?" Rachel asked. 

"I’d thought he’d put her ghost behind us – so had he," Kat said gently, "But when we got the news ... the look on Tommy’s face ... Anger. Fear. Determination – I saw all that play across his face when he first heard Jason’s name mentioned, but I saw them again when he learned about Kimberly, only there was something more ... I’m not sure how to describe it. Grief, maybe? A sense that his world had been violated and all but destroyed? All I know was that knowing Kim in trouble had shaken him to his core. And what’s more, he didn’t even realize it – at least, not consciously." 

"I didn’t know you could read all that in me," Tommy murmured, feeling a tad guilty for what he’d once put Kat through. 

"You never could disguise your feelings when it came to Kimberly," Kat said kindly. Resuming the tale, she continued with, "Even worse than knowing they’d been kidnapped was seeing what had been done to them. Divatox and Maligore sent them after us – after they’d been put under a spell, turning them evil." 

"One of the hardest things I’d ever done was face Jason that day. His eyes glowed red, and the hate filling him ..." Tommy shuddered at the memory. "I wanted to break the spell on him so badly ..." 

"I know," Kat murmured comfortingly, patting his hand. "When Kim came after me ..." 

"But what could you guys have done? You didn’t have super powers or anything like that," Ramon interjected. 

"We had to let the Power Rangers take care of them, but it wasn’t easy," Tommy concluded. 

"Why did Aunt Kim and Uncle Jason hate you guys so much?" Jasmine wondered. 

"The spell magnified little resentments, disappointments, insecurities – blowing them out of proportion," Tommy explained. "After the spell had been broken, Jase and I talked things out and dealt with the root of the problem." 

"Kim and I did something similar, but there was something else that I’d discovered while Kim was under Maligore’s spell: she still loved Tommy ..."

**~o0o~**

Adam, Jason and Tommy had won the tournament, helping out the children’s shelter with the prize money. They’d quickly disappeared into the locker room to get cleaned up before heading to the victory celebration. Tanya was staying with Justin, but Kat had followed Kim into the powder room. They touched up their make-up in awkward silence.

Finally, Kat could take it no longer. 

"Kimberly, we need to talk," she ventured at last. Kim had barely said two words to either her or Tommy since leaving Muranthias. 

"I know ... I’m just not sure I’m ready to," Kim answered with a heavy sigh. 

"Please, Kim. I need to know – what made you hate me so?" Kat implored. "When you came at me, it seemed too personal somehow. No one’s ever fought me harder." She steeled herself to ask the all-important question, "Was it because of my relationship with Tommy?" 

Was she really wanting to hear the words? Not really, but she _had_ to know. 

"Mostly, it was resentment that you’ve taken over all the things I ever cared for: my friends, my Powers and place on the team, and yes, Tommy. I felt like if you hadn’t come along, my life wouldn’t have been turned topsy-turvy." 

"That’s pretty harsh," Kat murmured, stunned by the magnitude of Kim’s ill feeling. "You know I never meant to ..." 

"I know you didn’t do any of that on purpose, and when I’m in my right mind, I know you’re not to blame." The brunette offered her a weak smile. "I know it’s unworthy of me to think that of you; after all, you’re as much my friend as any of the others." 

"Well, that spell _did_ stir up some serious issues between Tommy and Jason, and look how close they are," Kat had to concede. She finally felt brave enough to ask a question she’d wanted answered for months. "Did you really find someone new in Florida, or was that letter a lie?" 

For a moment, Kim was too astonished to speak. When she could finally muster the words, she asked, "How did you know?" 

Kat’s small smile was wistful. "I trained for the Pan Globals, too; remember? I know how grueling the schedule can be. You have virtually no life outside the pool – er, gym. It’s difficult enough to maintain existing relationships, let alone create a new one." 

The brunette hung her head but not before Kat detected a glimmer of tears. 

"I didn’t want to let him go; I had to," Kim admitted at last. 

"Pressure from the coaches?" 

"Something like that." 

"I’m sorry, Kim, truly." 

Really, Kat didn’t know what to say. At the moment, she was gripped by the fear that once Kim talked to Tommy, it would all be over for her and her long-haired boyfriend. 

_Things had been going so well, too, before Divatox showed up!_

"Kat, Tommy can’t know any of this. Please don’t say anything," Kim requested, as if she’d known what was going through her friend’s mind. 

"W-Why not?" Kat stammered in disbelief. 

"I hurt Tommy," the gymnast began her explanation, finally looking up, and it became apparent just how much she’d hurt herself as well. "He didn’t deserve what I did to him, and I can’t make it right for him – if he even wants me to make it right. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hated me." 

"Trust me, Kim; he doesn’t hate you." 

It was unnerving to see how much relief her words brought Kim. 

"I saw how Tommy hugged you after the match," Kim rushed on, "I saw how his eyes shone and the way he smiled at you. You’ve made him happy, Kat. I want him to be happy, and he is now – with you ..."

**~o0o~**

"I remember wondering what she saw that I couldn’t," Kat went on, glancing down at her tightly interlaced fingers. "Had I read Tommy wrong? Or did Kim think Tommy was happy with me because _she_ needed to believe it to ease her guilt?

"I did take heart from her words and waited hopefully for things to get better for me and Tommy, but how could they when he was hardly ever around? It was shortly after that tournament that Tommy started driving for his uncle. It seemed like he was _always_ at the track" Kat let out a slow breath. Even though things had ultimately turned out for the best, it was still hard to recall those days when her heart hurt so much. 

"I never meant to hurt you," Tommy murmured; it was difficult to hear just how much he had taken Kat for granted. 

"I know. And to be fair, you did try ... It was just that there were times when I wished you could have been there and you couldn’t." 

"When ...?" Trini asked puzzledly. Considering that her father had always been so attentive of her mother, she was having a hard time believing he could ever have been so oblivious. 

"The big one was when I auditioned for the Royal Academy. I wanted Tommy beside me so badly, but he couldn’t make it. At least Tanya was there for me .... 

"Then there was the camping trip we’d planned. I’d hoped that we’d be able to recapture some of the spark in our relationship. But it never happened, thanks to Divatox intruding on our lives once again." 

"You really can’t blame Tommy for that," Ramon spoke up. 

"I don’t, but back then it kind of hurt. After all, I had a big decision to make. I had wanted to be a ballerina ever since I could walk – even more than I wanted to be a diver – and the Royal Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in the world. However, both Kim and Tanya had faced similar decisions: staying with the people they loved or chasing their dreams. Tanya deferred her dream. Kim went after hers – but at a cost. What would I do?" 

"Ultimately, you decided to go," Rachel summarized. 

"Yes, and when I had to leave for London, it was one of the scariest things I’d ever done. I’m so glad everyone was there to see me off at the gate. Mum, Dad, Tommy, Jason ..."

**~o0o~**

****_"British Airways flight 112 to London now boarding first class passengers at gate B-2...."_** **

"Oh gosh, Kat, it’s time!" Tanya gasped as she threw her arms around her best friend. 

"I’m going to miss you all so much," Kat said, smiling bravely and fighting back tears. Good-byes were always so difficult. She was grateful her parents allowed her these last moments with her friends – the best friends anyone could have wished for. 

Everyone had a parting hug and words of encouragement, until only Tommy was left. She hugged him fiercely, trying not to remember the angry words they had spoken the previous evening on what would be their last date until Christmas. 

Tommy had been unusually quiet, almost withdrawn, throughout the night. As she chatted away about what it might be like in London, she noticed that he didn’t seem to share her excitement. This puzzled her; after all, Tommy had been as happy as any of her friends that she had won her scholarship. He’d offered her advice about making her choice, and he seemed to genuinely support her decision to go, but now ... 

_"Tommy, what’s wrong?" she asked, holding his hands, her blue eyes imploring him not to put her off._

_"I don’t know ..." he began with a tell-tale rub of the back of his neck. "It’s just that – you’re leaving me just like Kim did."_

_Kat felt as if she’d been doused by a bucket of ice water. Her back went rigid and she spoke before really thinking, "I thought you’d stopped comparing me to Kim a long time ago."_

_"I didn’t mean it like that!" he protested, feeling as if he’d been slapped. "It’s just that you’re leaving me to chase a dream. I’m just afraid of losing you, too."_

_Kat truly felt horrible about lashing out at him like that. She hadn’t meant to, but she’d already confronted her insecurities about the similarities in their situations._

_"I’m sorry, Tommy; I didn’t mean to overreact," she apologized. "I don’t want to lose you either, but I have to go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I don’t go, I’ll always wonder ‘what if’, like with missing the Pan Globals. What ifs leave you very empty inside."_

_She knew that he understood on some level, but from his expression she could almost read his thoughts: "That’s what Kim said, and look what happened."_

_"Tommy, I’m not leaving you. This is no different than going away to college."_

_"I know," he admitted defeatedly, "but ..."_

_"Our relationship doesn’t have to suffer – not if we both work at it."_

_Tommy winced, and she realized he had taken her words of encouragement as a rebuke for his perceived failure to do so – but with Kim or with her, she wasn’t certain._

_Suddenly, a burst of inspiration hit, and her face brightened. "Why don’t you come with me!"_

_"To London?"_

_"Why not? It’d be perfect. We’d still be together ... I wouldn’t have to be alone in a strange country ..." Kat gushed, her idea gaining momentum the more advantages she enumerated. "It could work; I imagine there are dojos in London that could use an instructor of your caliber. We could share a flat – my scholarship only covers my tuition and school expenses, but my folks are giving me a stipend for living expenses. I know you couldn’t come right now – you’d need a passport and so forth, but maybe in a month or so ..."_

_"It sounds great, Kat, but you know I can’t," he declined._

_"Why not? You’ve finished high school. We’re no longer Rangers. I’m sure your parents would agree; it would be a wonderful opportunity for you ..."_

_"I have other obligations. To Uncle John and his racing team. To my students at the Youth Center – I’m still teaching there when I can. To Jason and Rocky – we’re talking about opening a dojo once we get the money ..."_

And they left it at that. 

"Good luck, Kat," Tommy said, his voice thick with emotion, as he released her but not before giving her a peck on the cheek. 

"You could change your mind," she said softly, a hopeful smile reflected in her eyes. 

Tommy shook his head sadly. "This is your dream, Kat. Your choice ..." 

"... and you have your dream. Your choice ..." 

And with that, she took her place in line to board the plane. 

**~o0o~**

"Wow," was all Jasmine could say at the conclusion of Kat’s tale. "Those were some pretty tough decisions to make – especially at eighteen."

"Your parents faced similar choices," Kat reminded her. "Your mother deferred her music career until she finished high school ..." 

"Adam had an opportunity to work as a stuntman," Tommy added, "but he chose to follow Tanya to New York. He followed his heart ..." 

"... without regret," Jasmine finished for him. "He earned his degree in creative writing and journalism." 

"Dad always said Uncle Adam’s first love was writing," Ramon spoke up. 

"I think you guys did follow your hearts and not just your dreams," Trini commented. "Your hearts just didn’t lead to one another back then." 

"I never thought of it that way," Kat mused. 

"It’s too bad we didn’t know that then; it would have made things a lot easier on all four of us," Tommy said.

**~o0o~**

A thoughtful silence settled over the family, then Tommy shook himself once and picked up the scrapbook again.

"Weren't we going to look at some pictures?" he asked with slightly forced cheerfulness. 

"Sure, Dad," his son said amiably, although he would have preferred listening to more tales of his parents' past. Even if he would've rather died than admit to something so sentimental. "What's next?" 

"I don't rightly know," Tommy admitted with a sheepish grin. "It's been ages since I looked at these last … I kind of lost track of what's in where." The rest of the Prom pictures were quickly explained, familiar faces pointed out. 

Next came a photograph of Justin on his birthday, proudly displaying his new bicycle. 

"Who's that? He looks sort of familiar," Rachel wondered. Kat grinned. 

"You don't recognize him? That's Justin Stewart." 

"Of course," Rachel exclaimed. "It was kinda hard to tell under that mop of hair, but now I can see it … but what is a boyhood picture of Dad's chief researcher doing in one of _your_ scrapbooks?" 

"He started attending Angel Grove High the year we graduated," Tommy explained. "And since Kat was working there as a teacher's assistant for a while, we got to know him. As a matter of fact, Kat and Tanya both used to mother him a little." 

"Which Justin very much resented," Kat murmured. "If I remember correctly, you and Rocky were his heroes." Changing the subject adroitly, she pointed to the next page. "Oh look, there's Adam!" 

The picture in question showed the former Green Turbo Ranger in his stunt show costume, and it evoked a few titters from everybody. "No wonder your Dad hates cameras," Oliver grinned at his wife, then his eyes lit upon a still photo from the music video Adam and Rocky had filmed of Tanya. 

"Hey, here's your Mom, too!" 

"Oh yuck, look at Mom's clothes," Jasmine groaned in fascinated horror. "Yellow shirt, bright orange skirt and _blue_ tights?!? What was she thinking?" 

"At the time, she looked very fashionable and, um, snazzy," Kat defended her friend, even though she remembered having been rather dubious about Tanya's outfit as well. "It looked good on film, anyway." 

Her daughter-in-law gave her a very skeptical look. "If you say so," she murmured, keeping all other comments to herself. 

Next came a candid shot of Kat in the classroom, looking very teacher-like as she wrote something on the blackboard; Jason on campus of AGU; Rocky in front of the first small dojo he'd opened right after graduation; another picture of Tanya at the radio station behind a huge sound-mixing arrangement; Tommy in racing overalls leaning against his car, helmet tucked into the crook of his elbow … it was a veritable catalogue of the friends' activities that summer. It ended with a group shot of the one-time Turbo Rangers in front of the Youth Center, with a put-upon looking Jerome Stone sweeping the steps in the background. 

"That was taken the last time we were all hanging out together," Tommy explained. "The next day, Kat and I had our last date … but you just heard about that. From here on out, everybody went their separate ways – for a while, at least."


	4. The Road Back Together

"Where was this taken?" Jared wondered, finding an unusual shot of a monument surrounded by stairs and fountains. A statue of a soldier was visible, though the writing on the limestone wall was illegible in the photo. In the background loomed tall buildings, giving the impression that the construct was in the midst of a city. 

"That’s the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis, Indiana," Tommy explained. "Uncle John and I did a little sightseeing there when we went to the Brickyard 400 for the first time in August 1999." 

"That’s a two-year gap in pictures, Dad," Trini observed, noting the absence of the types of photos they’d been treated to thus far. Where were the family shots? The friends? 

"I know. Neither your mom nor I took many for a while. The gang was pretty dispersed at that time, and she and I were on the road a lot, so there was no reason for snapping anything other than touristy-type pics. The family stuff Kim organized in separate, event-specific books which I didn’t bring." 

"Touristy-type is right," Rachel observed. "We’ve glaringly similar pictures labeled Dayton, Lowes, et cetera ... Thus far, all your photographs of the various cities you raced in have been of the tracks themselves. Rarely do you have any photographic remembrances of the cities themselves. Why this particular one?" 

"My father collected photos of the various war memorials around the country," Tommy replied. "Originally, I had taken this for him." He paused, unsure how to continue and glanced at Kat. This photo was connected to some great memories for him and Kim, but not so great for him and Kat. 

Kat observed his indecision and decided to help him out. Actually, it was a touching gesture. Tommy had his own romantic streak; it had been one of the things that had impressed her when she first saw him and Kimberly together. 

"The monument had added significance for Tommy because it was the place where he met up with Kimberly again for the first time in two years ..." she revealed. 

"... and though I didn’t realize it at the time, it was the place where Kim and I started on the path to getting back together ...."

**~o0o~**

"There," Tommy declared as he snapped the picture of the memorial at the heart of the Circle City.

"That’ll make a nice addition to your father’s collection," his Uncle John remarked. 

"I’m just surprised that, with all his traveling, Dad hasn’t been here before," Tommy said. 

"It’s my first trip to Indy as well," John Rush reminded his nephew and back-up driver. 

"You mean you never came to see the Indy 500?" Tommy asked. He was enjoying their day off. They didn’t usually have a lot of time to sight-see when they had a car in a race, but his dad’s request must have given John a justifiable excuse to take it easy for a couple of hours. 

And it was a perfect day for kicking back. For early August, the temperature was hot but not sweltering. There was a slight breeze, and there was nary a cloud in the clear blue sky. 

"I always wanted to," John continued, calling back Tommy’s wayward thoughts, "but I was usually at some other race ... Well, hello, is that a familiar face I see?" 

"Huh? Who? Where?" Tommy sputtered, looking about. 

"Over there on the right, sitting on the edge of the fountain," John pointed out. "Isn’t that the gal you dated when you first moved to Angel Grove – Kimberly, wasn’t it?" 

Tommy’s head snapped around sharply, and his eyes followed the line of his uncle’s outstretched arm. Sitting on the edge of the fountain’s retaining wall was a petite brunette with caramel-colored hair. Her face was tilted skyward, her eyes closed. She looked for all the world as if she was drinking in the delicious sunlight. A smile of pure enjoyment lit her face ... and Tommy felt as if someone had kicked him in the chest, forcing the air from his lungs. 

He’d know that smile anywhere, and it was very disconcerting to realize that it still had the power to affect him so. 

She was as beautiful as ever and looked happier than when he had seen her last. Of course, at the time she’d been Divatox’s prisoner and then unwitting puppet, but even after the spell had been broken and she and Jason were home safe, there had still been shadows in her eyes – shadows of unhappiness. She had barely spoken to him that entire weekend. The avoidance had hurt; it was as if her heart had so totally changed towards him that she couldn’t stand the sight of him. 

After she had returned to Florida, he'd asked Jason about her behavior. His best friend’s words offered little comfort. _"I don’t know what’s wrong, but something’s bothering Kim big time. Something’s hurt her bad ..."_

Rather uncharitably, he’d mused that her new boyfriend must have dumped her. 

Regardless of whatever had caused her pain then, she was happy now. 

"Howdy, Stranger," Tommy’s uncle called out before Tommy could decide if he even wanted to say ‘hi’ or not. 

"Ohmigod! Tommy! Mr. Rush! Is that really you?" Her face glowed with the pleasure of seeing two familiar faces, her smile positively brilliant. 

Even from a distance, Tommy felt that grin make his knees buckle. 

Kim jumped up and raced over to where they stood. Tommy found himself grinning as she moved with all the exuberance of old. She hurried up to him and flung her arms around him in a joyous hug. She was obviously pleased to see him. 

He hugged her back, a rush of memories overwhelming his senses at the feel of her in his arms again. Nothing had felt so wonderful in a long, long time. 

"What are you doing here?" they blurted out simultaneously. Then they both burst into easy laughter. 

"You first," she said. 

"Uncle John and I here to race in the Brickyard," he answered. "And you?" 

"An exhibition at the Convention Center," she replied breathlessly. "How long are you in town?" 

"We’re here through the weekend. You?" 

"I fly out tonight," she answered, her smile dimming somewhat. "I wish I had more time so we could do some catching up." 

"Do you have time now?" 

Had he sounded too eager or merely polite – or somewhere in between? 

"Darn it, no. In fact, I really have to be returning to the Convention Center now," she answered, pouting as he remembered oh-so-well. 

"Gosh, it was so good to see you, Tommy," she murmured. For a moment, she looked uncertain, then her expression seemed to say ‘what the hey," and she hugged him again. "‘Bye, Tommy." 

"‘Bye, Kim."

**~o0o~**

"... and don’t think my reaction to how good it felt to hold Kim again didn’t bother me afterwards," Tommy hastened to say before any of the kids could pounce on that point. "It did. After all, Kat and I were still a couple even though we’d drifted apart."

"But you guys barely spoke; how did your meeting set you back on the road to getting together?" Jasmine asked. 

"When we walked away from each other that day, I knew Kim and I were still friends," he said. "That was something I hadn’t been too sure about before." 

"So when did you find out the reason Aunt Kim broke up with you?" Ramon questioned. 

"It was another chance meeting that year. It was near Christmas ...."

**~o0o~**

It was funny how things had a way of working out, Tommy mused as he passed through the familiar doorway of the Youth Center. Ownership had changed hands several times since he’d spent his high school afternoons here, but now Ernie was back in charge.

 _"I missed the kids,"_ the portly proprietor would answer whenever asked why he’d come back. 

Tommy had missed this place since he had graduated. It had been such a huge part of his life in Angel Grove; he had been sorry to see the changes. 

_I’ve spent some of the best times of my life here,_ he sighed, indulging in happy memories. Now he was back to help out with the annual holiday program for the children’s home. He never could tell Ernie no – none of them could, and since Justin had been a resident of Little Angels, Tommy had a soft spot for the shelter. 

He was about to head to the back office to see what the big-hearted owner wanted him to do when he spotted her. 

Kimberly was wandering aimlessly about the facility, looking for all the world like she was taking the same trip down memory lane that he had. Her eyes were misty and her smile wistful. She was over by the gymnastics equipment, lightly running her hand over the old balance beam. 

"Hi, Kim," he called out before he lost his nerve. There was still so much unresolved between the two of them, but while he wasn’t sure he was ready for that particular conversation, he knew that seeing her twice in less than six months after not seeing her for over two years had to mean _something_. 

Kim turned, the familiar voice cutting straight to her heart. It was Tommy standing in the doorway and, of all things, waving to get her attention. 

She’d been shaken by their August meeting. She hadn’t meant to be so – enthusiastic in greeting him. She hadn’t meant to let her heart lead her .... She’d just been so surprised and pleased .... 

_What he must have thought of me! Acting like a lovesick teenager when he still has a girlfriend!_

Still, nothing had felt so right as being held in his arms for the first time in three years. 

"Tommy!" 

This time, she didn’t run and hug him; she seemed more reserved, but when she stood in front of him, she rose up on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. 

"Mistletoe," she said, a slightly embarrassed flush staining her cheeks as she pointed to something above Tommy’s head. She knew she probably shouldn’t have, but she couldn’t resist. 

He raised his eyes and noted the sprig of greenery directly over his head. 

"Merry Christmas," he murmured, returning the favor, just barely cutting off his old nickname for her. 

"I’m so glad to see you," she responded, doing her best not to be bouncing with joy at seeing him again. 

"Same here; we really didn’t get a chance to catch up in Indianapolis." 

"I know. I couldn’t believe you’ve become a race car driver," she remarked as they moved out of the doorway. Instinctively, they drifted over to what had once been the gang’s table. 

"No more surprised than me," he agreed. "I thought all I ever wanted to do was open my own dojo." 

"And you don’t any more?" 

To Tommy, it sounded as if she was disappointed or something. 

"I still want to – more than anything," he assured her, "but Uncle John needed help, and it turns out I’m really good at driving ...." 

"After some of the machines you piloted, you should be," Kim interjected with a knowing smile. 

Tommy couldn’t argue with that. "If Uncle John only knew where I honed my ‘exceptional reflexes’ … I figure I’ll do this for a while; the money’s pretty good. Since I’m on the road so much, I’m still living at home – so I don’t have a lot of expenses. I’m saving all I can for my dojo and for classes at the business college." 

"It sounds like you have things all planned out," Kim noted, wishing her own future was so certain. 

_Well, not quite,_ he observed privately; he wasn’t quite sure how Kat figured into these plans. "What about you? Back in Indy, you said you were there for some sort of competition – or exhibition. Are you still competing?" 

"No, I’m too old to be really competitive any more," she laughed, but the humor faded, leaving behind a shadow of pain. It still hurt, even after all this time. "Actually, I had to retire not long after the Pan Globals." 

" _Had_ to ... Kim, what happened?" Tommy asked, unnerved by what he saw in her eyes. It was the same shadow he’d noticed at the karate tournament so long ago. 

"I fell off the beam again, only this time my head injury was more severe," she sighed softly, fighting to keep the hurt and disappointment out of her voice. 

With someone who hadn’t known her as well as Tommy, she might have been successful, but he knew. He could practically feel her pain. 

"The doctor pretty much told me that he wanted me to stop gymnastics after that. Another fall might cause permanent damage. It was a risk I didn’t want to take." 

"I’m sorry, Kim," Tommy murmured, reaching out his hand to cover hers. Her fists were so tightly clenched that her knuckles were white. He knew he’d be devastated if he could never do martial arts ever again; he could only imagine what Kim was going through. He gave her hand a supportive squeeze. 

Kim gave him a tearful smile. It felt so good to tell someone at last. If only she could have confided in him at the time .... 

"Now, I’m glad to be away from the grind of competition, but back then .... I’d done so well at the Pan Globals, Coach thought I had a shot at the Olympics." 

It was obvious to Tommy that giving up her dream still hurt. 

"After I ‘retired’, I came home to recuperate and figure out what I wanted to do. That’s what I was doing in Angel Grove when Divatox nabbed me and Jason." 

She paused to take a sip of her drink, but she stopped in mid-motion. She hadn’t ordered a smoothie. Neither had Tommy, but there was one in front of him, too. As one, the pair looked to the counter. Ernie flashed them a smile and a salute. 

Good ol’ Ernie! 

"Anyway ...." Kim continued, taking a deep breath, "when I went back to Florida – mainly to collect my stuff – I still hadn’t come to a decision. I really didn’t want to stay in Florida. I sort of wanted to come back to Angel Grove and go to college, but I couldn’t – not then at any rate." 

Coming back would have been like admitting failure to her family ... her friends .... And she had honestly felt there was nothing for her to come back to. What sort of welcome would her friends have given her after what she’d done to Tommy?" 

"Mom was wanting me to come live with her in Paris, but I really didn’t want to do that either. I hadn’t wanted to go to Paris in the first place, and if it hadn’t been for Paris ...." 

Even now, the thought of Paris could bring her to the point of tears. 

Tommy had come to hate Paris, too; for the longest time, he’d viewed that as the beginning of the end of his relationship with Kim. 

"Coach, however, made me an offer," she went on with her tale. "He said I had a good eye for gymnastic talent, so he asked me to be his scout and travel around visiting gymnastic clubs and high school meets – like he’d been doing when he ‘discovered’ me – so that he could spend more time in the gym with the athletes. Since I had no other options at the time and I wouldn’t just be cooped up in the gym, it seemed like an okay solution ...." 

"But now ...?" Tommy prompted, noting the weighty sigh. 

"I’m tired of being on the road all the time ...." she said. 

He could relate to that! 

"... and I really have nothing in Florida. I almost have enough saved to rent an apartment here ... maybe even start school. I’d have a bit of a cushion while I looked for a job. It’d be rough going to school and working full time, but I think I could handle it." 

"Is that what brings you back home now? Apartment and job hunting?" he wondered. 

"Sort of. The Stone Canyon Gymnastic Club asked if I’d be a guest at their holiday meet, and I thought I’d visit Kenny before going to visit Mom." 

Tommy had forgotten her brother still lived in Angel Grove. 

"What about you?" Kim asked him, glad to know that they could still talk... that they were still friends. 

"I’m off until the seasons starts. Practices begin the end of January, the races in February." 

"Isn’t the Daytona 500 the first big race of the season?" 

Tommy was startled by her obvious knowledge. 

"You can’t live in Florida without hearing about it ad nauseam," she answered his unspoken question with a small laugh, though she wondered that it would surprise him that she knew anything about racing. Upon learning of his new career, she’d done her best to keep tabs on him. It was the sort of thing a friend would do. 

"It is," he confirmed. 

"Do you think you’ll ever drive in a race that big – you are in NASCAR, right?" 

"Right." He found himself impressed that she even knew that there was more than one racing league. But to answer her questions, "I hope to, someday, but first I need to get some smaller races under my belt." 

A lull hit their conversation as they wrapped up current events. After several minutes of idly sipping their drinks, Kim steeled herself to broach a topic she really didn’t want to touch, but had to. She had to let him go and hearing about him and his girlfriend would be the best way to do it. She ventured, "So, how’s Kat?" 

"Kat?" Tommy gulped, taken aback by the unexpected question. 

"You know, your girlfriend," Kim said with a teasing laugh. 

"Oh," he mumbled, feeling like five kinds of a fool. Really, there was no reason for him to be so flustered; it’s not like he’d done anything wrong or had anything to hide. "I didn’t realize you knew I was dating Kat." 

"I figured it out when I saw you guys last," Kim revealed. "That hug she gave you after the tournament was a pretty good indication, plus the way you danced with her at the victory celebration clued me in, too." She paused thoughtfully. "I’m not surprised you guys wound up together. I kind of thought Kat might’ve had a crush on you when I left Angel Grove." 

"Ah," he grunted noncommittally. 

"So, where is Kat? What’s she up to these days?" Kim prompted. 

"She’s in London." 

"London? England?" Kim gasped. When had _that_ happened? 

"I guess you hadn’t heard. She auditioned for and was accepted to a ballet academy in London. She started there the fall after we graduated," he elaborated. 

"Wow! That is so awesome!" Kim bubbled excitedly. The glow faded from her enthusiasm as she regarded Tommy’s unhappy expression. "I bet it’s been tough for you guys; she’s even farther away than I was." 

That was putting it mildly. 

"We write and call ...." he began hesitantly, not sure if he should talk to Kim – of all people – about this. 

"I bet your mom just _loves_ the phone bill," Kim chuckled, but Tommy didn’t respond to her attempt at levity. He seemed troubled. "When was the last time you saw Kat?" 

"Late August," he said. "She got home in July, but I was on the road with Uncle John. I didn’t get to see her until just before she left to go back to the academy." 

"Oh, that had to suck," Kim commiserated, "but she’ll be home for Christmas, won’t she?" 

"She’s due home any day now." If she wasn’t already home. He mentally kicked himself; he should have known when she was coming in. 

His lack of enthusiasm was apparent. 

"Tommy, what’s wrong?" Kim asked, fixing him with her best I-will-not-be-put-off glare. She couldn’t stand for Tommy to be miserable. 

He squirmed in his seat, rubbed the back of his neck, took a deep breath, and asked, "What do you think of me and Kat as a couple?" 

In a way, it felt kind of weird asking his ex-girlfriend about his current one, but Kim was still a friend, and he’d always been able to talk to her about things he couldn’t tell anyone else – even Jason. 

"I think you guys are wonderful for each other," she said with all honesty – an honesty that hurt. When things first went to Hell, she’d hoped he’d find a nice girl like Kat to take away the pain she’d caused him. She’d known how much he’d loved her; she’d known exactly what her letter would have done to him. 

"The two of you look absolutely gorgeous together. Kat is so warm and caring .... She’ll love you the way you deserve to be loved, and you know how to treat a girl right – make her feel special. A girl couldn’t ask for a better man than you." 

Tommy wondered if she had any idea of the irony of her words. 

"Why do you ask? Are you having doubts or something?" she questioned gently, hoping they weren’t having trouble. 

There was nothing in her tone or expression to give him any indication that her interest was more than genuine concern. 

"I don’t know ... sometimes, I just feel like Kat and I are from two different worlds," he sighed with frustration, not sure how to explain himself. 

"How so?" 

"It’s just that she’s into things like ballet and museums and artsy-type stuff, and I like karate movies and race cars and spending time at my uncle’s cabin." 

"Kat does enjoy some sports; after all, she was a Pan Global hopeful in diving," Kim reminded him, trying to find words of encouragement, "and you have a romantic streak a mile wide – a nice dinner for two, a walk in the park, nothing really fancy, just nice and quiet, flowers for no apparent reason ...." 

Memories of which she still treasured. 

"Well ... she and I kind of had a fight before she left for London. We both said things ...." Tommy breathed out a heavy sigh. 

Tommy replayed her last words to him before she headed for the boarding gate: _"Is this how you said good-bye to Kimberly when she went to Florida? Are we supposed to choose between you – our hearts – and our dreams? How can you ask that of us? What about you? Didn’t you choose between your heart and your dreams? If Kim meant so bloody much to you, why didn’t you follow her to Florida? If I mean so much to you, why don’t you come with me to London? But, no, you have your duty. Back then, it was to the Rangers. Now, it’s to your uncle. It looks like even you chose something else over your heart."_

"She said that I didn’t put her first enough ... that duty came before anything with me. She wanted me to come to London with her, but I couldn’t. I had already agreed to extend my contract with Uncle John ...." 

"Honor and duty are an integral part of who you are, Tommy," Kim said gently. "You wouldn’t be you without them. You just need to learn how to juggle a relationship along with them. Sometimes, it’s hard to take a back seat to your sense of responsibility, but a girl can’t have you without your sense of duty. 

"That’s why I never asked you to come to Florida with me," she confessed to something she’d sworn she’d never tell him – mainly because it wouldn’t change a thing. "I couldn’t make you choose between me and your duty as a Ranger. Because I knew which one you would choose, and I didn’t want to be disappointed." 

"You wanted me to go with you?" he gaped, totally taken by surprise. After her letter, he hadn’t expected to find out she cared so much. 

"Only as desperately as I wanted you to ask me to stay." 

"I never had any idea ...." he fumbled. At the time, he had wanted to ask Kim to stay, but in the end he knew he couldn’t ask her to give up a lifelong dream. 

"I know." 

"Kim, what when wrong between us?" Tommy implored. He _had_ to know why their relationship failed. Maybe if he understood that, he could fix whatever was wrong between him and Kat now. 

"Nothing went wrong between us," she answered quietly. 

"What do you mean, nothing? What about that other guy?" 

"There was no other guy," she admitted, unable to meet his eyes. She had to look anywhere but at him with his soul-window eyes. 

He gaped at her in astonishment. "Then why did you send me that letter?" 

_Why did you break my heart?_ he wanted to shout. 

"I didn’t want to, Tommy; I _had_ to." 

" _Had_ to?" His tone was incredulous, disbelieving. 

"Yes, and I couldn’t even tell you the truth about it." Before he could say anything more, she pressed her fingers to his lips to silence him. "Please, this is going to be hard for me to explain, so just listen, okay?" 

She fixed him with her most compelling gaze. What he read therein made him nod in acquiescence. 

"Your uncle has corporate sponsors for his team, doesn’t he?" 

"Yes." 

"And do those sponsors ever make unreasonable demands?" 

"They try, but Aunt Jess keeps them in line for Uncle John. She’s a sharp manager," Tommy answered with a wry smile. Aunt Jessica was always ragging on about the ‘pushy’ sponsors. 

"Coach Schmidt had a sponsor for his gym – a private one, not corporate," Kim began. "Her name was Regina Carstairs – a bitter, eccentric old lady with more money than she knew what to do with. According to the other athletes, Miss Carstairs had wanted to be a gymnast once – until she found out she’d actually have to work to earn her way, that daddy’s money couldn’t buy her a gold medal. 

"She always supported gymnastic clubs in the area. She gave Coach whatever he needed – be it uniforms, equipment or even money for a new facility. She even had the dormitory for the athletes built. The only conditions she ever put on her funding were that the athletes – meaning the female athletes – abide by her code of conduct, even if they didn’t live in the dorm. She had very definite ideas about how young ladies should behave – she’d been educated in a very old-fashioned private girls’ school." 

"Sounds strict," Tommy murmured. 

"You have no idea!" Kim groaned. "She’s worse than my mom." 

"Why did Coach let her do that?" 

"He figured it was a small price to pay for guaranteed money, and it helped keep the athletes disciplined," she said with a shrug. 

"Why only the girls?" 

"Because some of the male athletes were married." Actually, the old double standard was probably more like it. 

"I take it one of the rules was no boyfriends," he realized. 

"Uh huh, but I didn’t figure there’d be any problem. It wasn’t like I was going to be seeing you and going on dates while training. I pretty much decided that I wasn’t going to let some sour old biddy meddle in my love life. Heck, I wouldn’t even let my own mother meddle in my love life. Besides, how was she going to know? 

"By monitoring my mail and phone calls is how. She pressured my roommate into snitching on me." Thinking about it still made Kim furious. To know that a trusted friend had betrayed her ... 

"Miss Carstairs finally called me into her office to ‘discuss’ the matter. Ha! She didn’t discuss; she ordered me to dump you," she spat out, her anger bubbling over. "I wasn’t about to let her tell me what to do; it was none of her business anyway. Our relationship wasn’t a distraction; it was my anchor, my strength, my inspiration. I wasn’t going to throw it all away for some dumb medal. I told her if she couldn’t accept that, she could ask me to leave. I wouldn’t quit otherwise." 

"Would you really have given it all up?" Tommy asked in a choked whisper, stunned by the implication that she would have given up her dream for him. 

"Tommy, as much as I wanted to try for the Pan Globals, you meant more to me than anything else. I was dead serious," Kim assured him, "and Carstairs knew it. She also knew that if she dismissed me, Coach would want to know why, and she wanted to keep him out of this. At the time, she said nothing and sent me back to the dorm. However, afterwards, I started noticing that some of the assistant coaches were a lot tougher on me. The house mother at the dorm watched me like a hawk. It was like everyone but Coach was going out of their way to make my life a living hell. 

"If she thought she could manipulate me that way, she was in for a surprise. I’d sacrificed too much to be there, and I wasn’t going to let some frustrated witch take my dream away from me. I was all set to tough it out ... to match wills with her. Then, she started playing dirty. 

"I overheard Coach one day talking with one of the assistants about how Miss Carstairs had denied a request for new warm-ups for the team. She’d never _ever_ denied the team anything. Over the next couple of weeks, she turned down other requests. There was rumbling among the gymnasts that Carstairs didn’t like one of the gymnasts and that’s why she was being so tight-fisted. 

"That’s when she called me into her office again. She told me that we were going to do things her way or else. No snippy teenager was going to tell her what to do. She said that unless I toed the line – dumped my boyfriend and behaved like a good girl, in other words kissing her ass – she was going to cut all the funding for the club." 

"But that – that’s blackmail!" he stammered, appalled. 

"Uh huh." 

"What did Coach say? Did she honestly think she was going to get away with it?" 

"I didn’t tell Coach, Tommy," Kim sighed sadly, her fury giving way to resignation. "I couldn’t. If I had, she’d have just denied it. I already knew she had the bulk of the staff under her thumb, so who would have believed me over her? I knew it wasn’t right, but I had no one else to turn to. I thought about filing a complaint with the gymnastics federation, but I knew if I tried, she wouldn’t punish me, she’d punish the whole team." 

She clutched his sleeve, imploring him to understand what she was about to tell him. 

"Tommy, if she’d just been retaliating against me, I would have fought her, but all those other girls and Coach ... could I be responsible for destroying their dreams?" 

"Coach could have found other sponsors," Tommy said, searching for any way for Kim not to have made the choice she had. 

"In time for the Pan Globals?" Kim just shook her head. "In the end, I chose duty over my heart. Even worse than having to sacrifice our relationship was having to lie to you about it. The old bitch wanted to see the letter I was sending you; she didn’t want the truth to get back to the federation. I had to come up with something believable, something she wouldn’t censor and something I knew you wouldn’t raise a fuss over. I couldn’t have you coming there or even calling to ask me questions; I knew that, no matter what, you’d want me to be happy, even if it was with someone other than you. That letter _had_ to be my last contact with you. And it damn near destroyed me." 

"I just don’t understand why," Tommy muttered helplessly. "Why did she have to be so vindictive? Why couldn’t she have left you alone?" 

"I don’t know, really. I guess no one has ever told her ‘no’ before; she was used to getting her way. I have found out that she’d bullied other girls during her tenure as sponsor, and you can bet that once I no longer work for Coach, the gymnastics federation is going to get a very long, very detailed letter about her doings. 

"Tommy, I’m sorry I had to do that to you – to us – but what else could I do? For the longest time, my only consolation was knowing that had you been in my shoes, you’d have done the same thing ...."

**~o0o~**

"And she was right; I would have done the same thing," Tommy told his audience.

"But ... but ..." Lynne sputtered, outraged by what her aunt and uncle had been forced to endure because of someone’s selfish whim. 

"That’s so unfair!" Jasmine exclaimed. 

"It was, but what else could Kim have done?" Kat interjected. 

"She should have reported that witch!" Jared said hotly, knowing how he would feel if something like that had cropped up in the USFSA. 

"Kim was a fighter, but she was also intelligent enough to know when fighting was futile," Kat soothed her son. 

"Did that Carstairs woman ever get reported?" Jay asked. 

"No. She died before Kim finished working for Coach," Tommy said. "In fact, in her will, she left a sizeable bequest to the facility, provided Coach retained the dorm. Kim did leave a detailed report with Coach Schmidt, though. We never knew what he did with it." 

"Still, to choose strangers over her boyfriend ..." Ramon muttered. 

"She couldn’t have lived with the guilt of being responsible for destroying the dreams of so many people," Tommy sighed. 

"‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few’," Rachel murmured softly, quoting from her favorite Star Trek movie. 

"Exactly," Tommy confirmed. "I remember being amazed at how well she seemed to know me and how little I knew her. She knew I’d have done the same thing in her shoes. She knew that her happiness meant more to me than anything else. And I believed she cared so little about me that she went and found herself another boyfriend ..." 

"That _was_ rather thick-headed of you," Kat teased him gently, knowing she could get away with it. "It was glaringly obvious to the rest of us just how much she loved you. That’s why her letter was so odd." 

"I’m just glad things eventually worked out for us," was all Tommy could say. 

"But you and Mom still didn’t get back together right away," Jay pointed out; there had to be more to the story. 

"No, we didn’t." 

"How come you didn’t just dump Mom?" Oliver asked indelicately, and was rewarded with several dire glares from the females in the room. "I mean, you were already having doubts then, right?" 

"I could never have hurt your mother the way I’d been hurt," Tommy replied. "I may have had doubts, but I still wanted things to work out for the two of us at that point." 

"And even if he’d been so inclined, Kim wouldn’t have let him," Kat elaborated. "She never wanted to come between us. Just like with the gymnasts, she couldn’t have borne being the reason Tommy and I broke up." 

"We just had to let things run their course," Tommy concluded. 

"Mom was a firm believer in true love and happily ever after," Trini spoke up. "She once told me that one of the reasons she stayed away from Angel Grove – from you – for so long was because she couldn’t stop hoping ... She truly believed that you two belonged together and that someday you would be." 

"Your mother was a very wise woman."


	5. A Friend To Confide In

They had progressed to the second album off the stack by now, but Lynne had taken hold of the first one once more. She opened it to the set of pictures displaying the two couples, looking at each with new eyes. One photograph especially caught her attention; it didn't quite seem to fit with the rest. Before either Tommy or Kat could launch into another tale, she touched her mother's knee. 

"Can we wait a second, please? I have a question," she said. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"Who's the blonde with Dad?" Lynne wondered, staring at the picture. "I know it's not you, Mom …" 

"No, that's Emily Benson," Kat replied. "Jason's girlfriend in senior year. He started dating her around the time Tommy and I first went out." 

"At least he stayed true to type," Oliver commented critically. "Blue eyes, blonde hair … you looked prettier, though," he declared, winking at his mother. 

"Thank you," Kat smiled, pleased by the compliment. 

"She was Jase's first serious relationship," Tommy divulged with a small grin. "While we were all happy for him – it was the time when love was very definitely in the air, what with Kat and me dating, and Adam and Tanya getting together – nobody had expected him to fall for someone like her." 

"What do you mean, someone like her? She looks nice enough," Jared said, puzzled. 

"Emily was … well, I guess our parents would have called her a 'bad girl'," Tommy said blandly. 

There were several gasps around the room. 

"Dad dated a 'bad girl'? No way!" Lynne exclaimed, only to add dubiously, "He didn't really, did he?" 

Kat rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating," she scolded Tommy, who grinned unrepentantly. The less-than-favorable first impression Emily had made on the gang had provided him and Rocky with a wealth of material to tease Jason with for months. To her offspring, Kat explained. "Emily wasn't bad, she just had fallen in with a somewhat wild crowd when we first met her. They committed some minor vandalism – which they _did_ help to repair, later – some underage drinking and so on. But she was perfectly nice as soon as she and Jason got interested in each other." 

"Still, the idea kind of boggles the mind," Oliver commented, sounding just a tad disappointed that his father hadn't been involved with someone truly outrageous. "I mean, Dad used to be such a straight arrow …" 

"How long did they date, anyway?" Lynne changed the subject, although she resolved to grill her Uncle Rocky about this Emily person at the first opportunity. 

"Oh, about as long as Tommy and I did," her mother mused. "I know Jason was still together with her on Christmas 1999."

**~o0o~**

Kat checked her shopping list as she ambled down the crowded hallways of the East Angel Grove Mall. She had crossed off maybe two-thirds of the presents she wanted (and needed) to buy and which she hadn't already brought from London, but her feet hurt … and a cup of tea or coffee, with maybe an almond cookie, sounded just about perfect right now. Determinedly, she turned left at the next intersection, intending to make a beeline for the food court, when suddenly she spied a familiar figure coming out of … a jeweller's store?!?

She quickened her pace, hurrying after the broad-shouldered young man clad in jeans, grey shirt and a black leather jacket. If he had indeed bought what she thought he might have, she very definitely wanted to be the first to know! 

He stopped at a window and looked at the display, but apparently found nothing to his liking; he was turning to leave again when Kat caught up with him. She tapped one leather-covered arm. 

"Surprise!" 

Jason whirled around, startled out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize he wasn't seeing things, that the lovely blonde smiling at him so impishly was indeed his friend, then his face lit up with a broad, delighted grin. 

"Kat!" 

Impulsively, he hugged her and was pleasantly surprised to note that not only she didn't object but hugged him back just as enthusiastically. 

"Man, it's good to see you," he laughed, giving her a quick once-over from her silver-blonde locks caught in a careless topknot to her modishly shod feet. She was just as pretty as he remembered. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in London!" 

Katherine dimpled at him. "Christmas break, silly. I came home two days ago." 

"Duh. Of course." He grimaced comically, making her laugh. "And hitting the Mall already, I see. Guess it's once a shopaholic, always a shopaholic," he teased. 

Kat mock-glared. "It's easier to do at least some of my shopping here – that way, I didn't have to bother about breakables, weight limits or customs," she explained. 

"Tell me about it," Jason smiled, remembering his own return from Geneva. "When I came back from Europe, I had to send a lot of my stuff by air freight, and if Trini hadn't helped me pack … as it was, only a bottle of perfume I'd bought for my Mom broke. That suitcase _still_ smells of lavender!" 

Kat giggled at that. Then, she indicated the four shopping bags he was carrying. "You've been melting the plastic, too?" 

"Hardly that. I needed some new exercise stuff … and a book I'd ordered for class has come in. I picked it up, is all." 

"Have you even started on your Christmas shopping? It's already the 16th," she chided. 

"That's still eight shopping days left," he replied with studied blandness, knowing exactly how to get Kat going – the same way as Kim, Trini and Tanya. They, too, had been known to harangue their more indifferent male friends to get earlier starts on what they considered a necessity of life. 

"You really have no presents at all in there?" 

Jason chuckled at her tone – both faintly scandalized and disappointed. "Well … maybe I do." He shifted his bags to his other hand, removing them from inquisitive blue eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that curiosity killed the Kat?" Then, he quickly jumped backwards, knowing how much she hated cat jokes. Inadvertently, he bumped into another shopper; the Mall was rather crowded. "Oops, I'm sorry, Ma'am," he apologized hastily, blushing under the reproachful glare and huffy snort of a lady old enough to be his grandmother. 

The little scene made Kat grin gleefully, but it also brought to her attention that the two of them were creating a roadblock in the steadily-moving stream of browsers. 

"Say, I was just about to stop for a coffee or something; want to join me? I'd really like to catch up with everything that's happened here while I was gone," she suggested. 

"Coffee sounds good," Jason agreed. "Lead me to it!" 

Laughing out loud, Katherine slipped her arm through his. "Okay. As long as we don't have to follow a yellow brick road," she giggled, and together they marched off towards the food court.

**~o0o~**

Somehow or other, one cup of coffee turned into three as Kat and Jason settled in a small restaurant and exchanged news and histories, forgetting all about shopping and other errands. She had just started her third year at the Royal Academy and was now allowed to take part in actual rehearsals; he was finishing a combination business course/Phys. Ed. Teacher training at college to become a full partner with Rocky, planning to open a branch of the moderately successful Stone Canyon dojo in Angel Grove. She was bubbling over all the places she'd visited in Europe during her half-term breaks, finding an interested and knowledgeable listener in Jason, who'd travelled to a lot of the same locations during his stint at the Peace Conference. He was telling her everything he knew about what their friends were up to these days, even providing addresses and a few pictures. She talked about her successes, occasional failures and plans for the future. He was … strangely reticent about his personal life.

It took Kat a while to notice; there were so _many_ things to talk about, to tell, to share … but when they finally wound down and lingered over the dregs of their beverages, she remembered where she had spied him – coming out of a jeweller's store. 

With studied casualness, Kat leaned back in her seat. Disguising her curiosity as best she could as merely friendly interest, she flicked a nail against his shopping bags, which rested on a chair between them. 

"So … what were you looking for in the Diamond Mine?" she asked with a smile. "Anything you want to share with an old friend?" 

Jason grinned, recognizing the ploy for what it was. 

"I didn't buy anything," he answered placidly. 

Kat raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh really?" 

"Yes, really." 

She stared hard at him. Jason _sounded_ sincere enough, but if one knew what to look for, his eyes would always give him away. Yes, there it was – a hint of a twinkle in the dark depths that meant he wasn't being entirely truthful in a good way. 

"I don't believe you," she declared boldly. "You're just like the other guys; you wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that if you didn't have business there." 

He chuckled even as he blushed; Kat had pegged him pretty well. He _had_ bought a present there, and he _was_ going to tell her; after all, it was no big secret. Still, he tried to stall a little. 

_-Let her squirm! Serves her right for being this nosy!-_

"They do sell batteries for watches," he said blandly. "And I needed to get a new one for mine." 

Kat snorted delicately. "Yeah, right. You'd go to a real jeweller when you can have it done cheaper at the nearest Wal-Mart or something." 

Jason's lips twitched amusedly. "I took in Mom's pearls to be restrung for Christmas?" By making it a question he showed Kat that he was aware she was fishing … and that he was playing a little with her. 

Mock-pouting, Kat seemed to ponder the explanation. While it was frustrating to be kept deliberately dangling like this, it was fun to engage in such mutual teasing with Jason. 

"Hmm, maybe," she conceded at last. "But a little birdie tells me that's not it, either." 

"I know that critter; it's been blabbing to you girls all the time for years now," Jason grumbled. "Maybe I ought to buy a shotgun and put us guys out of our collective misery by killing it." 

His blonde companion snickered naughtily. "Like you could." 

"Mumblehmphmuttergrumblepffffffffft," he uttered under his breath, trying for a glare that wouldn't work. Kat only laughed. 

"Jason, you know you'll tell me eventually. And if you won't, I can just call your mother and get the truth from her. You might just as well give in gracefully," she told him smugly, blue eyes sparkling with good humor. "Come on, don't be a spoilsport! Please?" 

"Oh very well," he gave in, shaking his head. "I bought a tie clip for my father." 

"Right," Kat laughed, still not believing him – thinking he was trying to make a secret out of a far more significant purchase. "So show it to me!" 

Jason shrugged. "Can't. I left it there to be engraved with his initials." He reached for his wallet. "I _can_ show you the receipt, though." 

Deflated, the blonde shook her head. "No thanks," she sighed, disappointment very evident in her voice. "If you say it's a tie clip …" Her companion had to chuckle at her crestfallen look. 

"Why, what did you think I'd bought?" 

Kat blushed and fidgeted with her purse. "I, um, I thought you had looked at diamonds." 

Jason snorted. "A bit out of my budget, wouldn't you say? I _am_ just a lowly college student; it's hard enough to get by without taking out too many loans. If I saved up for something, it'd be for something much more practical than diamonds. Like next year's tuition, or a new car." 

"Not if that something were an engagement ring," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed now. "I honestly thought you and Emily …" Surprised, she trailed off when she saw Jason's face go blank at her remark. The dark eyes closed for an instant, then he averted his head. But he wasn't fast enough for Kat not to notice the expression of pain crossing his features, nor the way his knuckles went white as they clenched around his empty coffee cup, nearly crushing the cardboard. Her breath caught in her throat, and she reached out, touching his arm in instinctive comfort. 

"Jason, what's wrong?" 

He just shook his head. "Nothing." His tone, and the sudden tension in his muscles, belied the word. 

"I don't believe that," Kat said gently. "Jason, I've known you long enough to know when you're hiding something, and you're definitely doing it now." She waited a few moments, but when he neither said anything nor would look at her, she made a wild guess. "Did you propose and Emily turned you down?" she asked as delicately as possible, reaching for his hand. 

All she got was a deep, deep sigh. At last, Jason met her concerned gaze, his own full of confusion and pain. "I wish it were that simple," he murmured. "If Emily truly didn't want to marry me, I could accept that and get over it." 

"You mean she doesn't?" 

Jason thought that over. 

"I … I think she'd say yes if I'd asked her," he said slowly. "I mean, I know she does want to have a family one of these days …" 

"But you haven't asked her yet?" 

"No." 

"Why not?" Kat wondered. "You guys have been dating practically as long as Tommy and I; and if you're sure about your feelings … you're not afraid, are you?" Her teasing smile melted away as she was suddenly reminded of the last time she and Tommy had talked about their relationship; the night before she left for London. They had both said things at the time that they regretted later, and hastily-mailed letters and a few phone calls had eventually set things right again between them, but … it was definitely a case of 'forgiven, but not forgotten'. The blonde frowned minutely; what did it say about their relationship that come crunch time neither was ready to make sacrifices? Of course, the sacrifice in question was a pretty big one for her _and_ for Tommy, but wasn't their love worth it? Or did not wanting to give up one's life's ambition for the sake of one's partner make them both just selfish? She honestly had no idea. And being separated by half a world didn't exactly help matters, either. 

Kat desperately needed to talk about this with someone who knew them both, who had been there when things had been … not so perfect, the summer after graduation – shortly before they retired as Rangers. 

Under any other circumstances, Jason would be her first choice for a confidante; in all matters concerning Tommy he was closer to her than even Tanya. It had started when Prince Gasket had captured and brainwashed Tommy; the closeness and unity of purpose they'd found between them then had stayed even after the crisis was over. And in time, they'd developed a very close friendship of their own. But the look of misery in the expressive dark eyes demanded that she set aside her own problems for now. This time, it was clearly Jason who needed a willing ear. 

_-Well, he's got mine.-_

"Jason?" Kat repeated his name softly, starting to stroke the back of his hand in small circles. "Is there something wrong between you and Emily? Have you broken up?" 

"No," he mumbled, staring at her pink-tipped nails as if mesmerized. "And … and I'm not afraid of asking her to marry me, either." 

"Then what …?" she prompted. 

Jason swallowed and moistened his lips. He wasn't afraid, but it took still all of his not inconsiderable courage to say what he'd only vaguely thought about in the darkest corners of his mind. 

"I'm not sure _I_ want to marry her," he whispered at last. "Not anymore." 

"Oh Jason …" Kat's heart went out to her friend. That seemed pretty serious – like … she dared hardly think it … the end of a relationship. And endings always hurt, more so when one of the people concerned felt things so deeply as Jason usually did. It was one of his more endearing qualities, albeit one he tried to hide from everybody but his closest friends. Kat felt honoured that he evidently considered her one to share so much. 

For herself, she'd been lucky; she'd never had her heart broken, but she'd seen the effects firsthand in Tommy, after he'd received Kimberly's infamous letter. To see a similar kind of pain in Jason was … disconcerting, to say the least. 

"What happened?" she asked. "If you want to tell me, that is." 

He looked at her then, more baffled than hurt if she read him right. 

"That's just it," he shrugged helplessly. "Nothing happened. I haven't met someone else, Emily hasn't either … we've been going on just as we used to, no great upheavals or anything … I just know that whenever we go on a date, I know I'll have fun, but … there are times when I'd be just as happy staying at home, doing nothing. I used to feel all excited when I went to meet her; I don't anymore. I mean, I used to feel my heart beat faster, my palms would get sweaty, I couldn't wait to get to her house … now, all that is just … gone. One day, the feeling just wasn't there anymore, and I have no idea where it went or why it went away at all." 

There wasn't much Kat could say to that – every thing that came to her mind were just platitudes, and Jason deserved better from her. So, she settled for squeezing his hand warmly. 

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I can only imagine how hard this must be for you." 

"Hard … I guess," he sighed. "At least in the sense of wishing I knew what to do about it. How _do_ you get back something that you didn't even notice you've lost?" 

Kat thought the question over. Jason was talking about emotional distance, about loss even. An indifferent listener – or maybe just an objective one – might come to the conclusion that he had fallen out of love with Emily by now, but as his friend, Kat was neither indifferent nor objective. She very much wanted him to be happy, just as she was with Tommy, but … 

_-Am I? Are Tommy and I really happy? After what we accused each other of before I left, after spending so much time apart … CAN we still be happy?-_

She pushed the traitorous thought aside – and decided to ignore the fact that it wasn't a new thought, either. Instead, she focussed once more on Jason, who was still rambling on about the changes he perceived in his relationship with his spirited girlfriend. 

"…I mean, it'd be so easy to just cut my losses and call it quits between us, but I'm not a quitter; I'm not giving up on something important that easily." 

Listening to his ruminations with all senses alert, it dawned on Kat as if Jason had already found his answer, but so far was refusing to face it. She didn't want to make him admit anything before he was ready to do so, however she didn't want to encourage him to maintain a union that maybe was already falling apart at the seams, either. 

_-What a tightrope to walk! And I'm not even a gymnast! Why do I always wind up giving advice to the lovelorn? Tommy, Adam, now Jason …I can't handle this!-_

But Jason was winding down now, looking at her with such hope in his dark eyes that Kat didn't have the heart to fob him off with a few glib, non-committal remarks. Thinking hard, she sought to give him an answer that would actually help, not just tell him what he might want to hear. 

"First … I think you have to ask yourself what you expect from your relationship – really, what you expect of Emily, of yourself … and then compare it with what you know of _Emily's_ expectations. If you don't know them … ask. Make a list of pros and cons, if that helps. Second … take a good, hard, _honest_ look at everything and everybody and decide whether it's realistic. Or if you need to adjust your thinking. If you can compromise – and where you'd want her to do the same. Third … can you live with those choices? And if you can't, what would be the honourable – the _right_ – thing to do." 

Jason heard her out with intense concentration, absorbing everything. His expression grew thoughtful, and to her relief Kat saw some of the tension leave his body. He nodded slowly. 

"You know … that makes an awful lot of sense," he said at last. "I guess deep down I knew I had to do something like that, but … it sure helps to hear you say it's not a completely wacky idea. I mean, in a way it sounds as if I'd be making a list comparing this car over that, for example, not as if I was gonna decide whether to break up with Emily or not." 

There, it was said. For an instant, Jason looked slightly shocked at himself, then exhaled gustily. 

"I guess that's what it comes down to, doesn't it?" he remarked ruefully. 

Kat smiled somewhat helplessly. "It sounds that way, from what you've told me," she agreed. "But Jason, I'm not telling you yes or no. That's a decision you'll have to make all alone, I'm afraid." 

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he muttered with an attempt at a baleful glare. It didn't quite work. 

"Well … yes." 

"Hmph," he grumbled. Kat chuckled softly, glad that the emotionally-charged atmosphere of moments ago was slowly lightening. She patted the large hand still resting under hers comfortingly. 

"I know you'll make the right choice, Jase," she murmured. "You're too basically honest and honourable to do anything else. And I hope you know that no matter what you decide, you'll have my – _our_ support." 

Jason summoned a slight smile and turned his hand around, grasping the slim fingers and kissed them lightly. "I know. Thanks." 

"For what?" Kat wondered, blushing a bit at the unexpected caress. 

"For listening. For not judging. For not telling me clichés like 'it'll all work out somehow'. For being a real friend," Jason enumerated. "It really helped that I could talk to you." 

"Then I'd say 'mission accomplished', and you're very welcome," she smiled. "I'm glad I could help." 

_-Now if I could only take my own advice …-_

**~o0o~**

"They broke up the next spring," Tommy reminisced. "Jase was feeling guilty over it for a long time, and not just because Emily wasn't taking it well at all."

"Why would Dad feel guilty?" Oliver wondered. "If their relationship had run its course it was the honest thing to do to say so …" 

"He saw it as a personal failure – just like I did when Kat and I broke up. From the distance of hindsight and rational thinking, we both knew we did the right thing, but at the time … let's just say it wasn't an easy thing to deal with." 

"I can see that," Jasmine mused. "When I think back to my first boyfriend back in New York … we split with a huge fight. It hurt like the dickens at the time, but at least there was a clear-cut reason why things didn't work out. To have things just fizzle, with no-one or nothing really to blame …" 

"Exactly," Tommy concurred. "And it's even harder to find the right time, _and_ the right words to end it. Because you know that the other is going to get hurt, no matter what, where, when or how." 

"All things considered, the two of us didn't do too badly when we reached that point," Kat murmured with a nostalgic smile. "At least we realized it was mutual, and we were able to remain friends."


	6. Time For A Change

"I can’t believe you got your hair cut like that, Dad," Trini laughed, glancing at a picture of her father with his hair cut very short and styled to be spiky on top. 

They needed a little levity after the heavy-duty conversation thus far. 

"Your mother hated it," Tommy said with a grimace. 

"She wasn’t the only one," Kat chuckled. "It just wasn’t you." 

"What can I say? I was in need of a change," Tommy muttered, almost under his breath. He’d cut it shortly after their breakup. 

"Jason told me Rocky had a field day with you that first time he saw you with it," Kat continued merrily ....

**~o0o~**

"Hey, Tommy, when did you get ba- Good Lord! What did you do to your hair!" Rocky exclaimed as Tommy entered the dojo after the last class of the night. Red Dragon Martial Arts was jointly owned by Rocky, Jason and Tommy (who was due to join the teaching staff once his contract with his uncle was finished). Rocky jokingly referred to their operation as the Red Ranger School of Kicking Monster Butt.

"Nice to see you, too," Tommy muttered as he attempted to ruffle Rocky’s own short-cropped hair. He was still getting used to his own shorn locks. His hair hadn’t been this short since before high school. 

"It’s quite a change," Jason murmured tactfully, picking up on the fact that Tommy was a little sensitive about the new cut. "It’ll take some getting used to." 

"That’s an understatement!" 

"So what’s with the new ‘do'?" Rocky wondered. 

"I needed a change, and Uncle John’s been after me to lop off the ponytail. Said my helmet would fit better without it." 

"Didja tell him you’ve been wearing helmets with it since you were sixteen?" 

"What brings you home so soon? I thought you were supposed to be in Michigan," Jason continued, noticing that something about Tommy’s mood was a little off. 

"We had to pull out of the Pepsi 400." 

"What happened?" 

The trio had been making their way towards the small office, and Tommy flopped down in a chair and blew out an exasperated breath. "My first big race and I totally choked." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Jack, Uncle John’s regular driver, got hurt and couldn’t drive at Watkins Glen. I filled in for him. I lost control in the first turn barely five laps into the race and crashed the car." 

"Oh man ...." Rocky gasped, full of concern. 

"Are you okay?" Jason asked. 

"Yeah, and nobody else was hurt ..." 

"That’s good," Rocky murmured. 

"Eddie, our crew chief, says that it wasn’t my fault. The tie rod gave out – defective. It could have snapped with Jack in the car. Eddie said that Jack couldn’t have minimized the damage any better than I did ...." 

"So why are you so bummed out about it?" Jason wondered. 

"Over-developed guilt muscle and insufficient memory," Rocky snorted, unable to resist the jibe. Jason scowled at him, and Tommy smiled wanly at the reminder of his well-known shortcomings. 

"It really was mostly my fault," Tommy went on. "My mind wasn’t on the race." 

"It was probably on Kat and what she’s going to do to you when she finds out what you did to your hair," Rocky teased, trying to interject a little levity into the conversation. 

"Rocky ...." Jason chided, feeling their friend’s humor misplaced at the moment. 

"Kim was the one who’d have shot me for cutting my hair," Tommy reminded him, grateful for his partner’s efforts to make him feel better. "As for Kat, well ... she was the reason my mind wasn’t on the race. But it doesn’t matter any longer what she thinks of my hair." 

"What?" 

"Tommy?" 

"When I saw Kat in New York, we mutually decided that things weren’t working out the way we’d hoped, so we called it quits," Tommy explained. 

"Whoa!" Rocky gulped. 

"I’m sorry, bro," Jason said, just as stunned as Rocky. "I had no idea .... I’ve talked with Kat a few times since Christmas, and she’s never said a word about you guys having trouble." 

Tommy shrugged. "I think it’s been brewing since Kat first went to London. We tried ... it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess." 

Jason rested a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, giving it a consoling squeeze. "You okay?" 

Considering how badly he’d taken it when Kimberly broke up with him, it was a fair question. 

"I will be. Even though it was for the best, it’s gonna take some time to adjust to, y’know." 

"I know," Jason commiserated, his break-up with Emily being recent enough for him to know exactly what Tommy was going through. 

"So, does this mean Kat is available?" Rocky asked oh-so-innocently but with an anything-but-innocent wiggle to his eyebrows. 

"Rocky, I don’t believe ...." Jason sputtered. How crass could the guy be? 

Tommy, however, knew that Rocky wasn’t _really_ serious – at least, he didn’t think so. 

"DeSantos, Kat has too much class to be seen with the likes of you." 

Rocky clapped his hand over his heart and staggered back as if wounded. 

"Besides, I thought you had a girlfriend." 

Rocky grinned sheepishly and shrugged, clueing them in that he had yet another _ex_ -girlfriend. 

"A guy can dream, can’t he?" Rocky mock-pouted. "At least, if I brought Kat home, I know Mama would approve of her." 

Mama DeSantos’ negative opinions of her eldest son’s girlfriends were legendary. 

Tommy was comforted by the business-as-usual banter; however, he found it strange that Jason hadn’t leapt in to take part in the give and take. His best friend was oddly silent. 

"Seriously, though," Rocky continued, sobering somewhat, "would you really mind it if one of us asked Kat out or something?" 

"Kat’s her own woman; she can date whoever she wants," Tommy said. 

"But would it bother you?" Jason interjected at last. 

Tommy stopped to consider. He hadn’t given it much thought. Maybe it would bug him, maybe it wouldn’t, but there was one thing he was certain of. "If one of you guys could make Kat as happy as she deserves, then you have my blessing." 

The conversation might have lapsed into a thoughtful silence at this point, had Rocky not been regarding Tommy with a frown, tilting his head this way, then that as he scrutinized him. 

"Now what?" Tommy huffed, praying it wasn’t another crack about his hair but knowing it was a vain hope. 

"I think you’d better avoid open flames and inflatable objects until your ‘do grows out," Rocky said, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. 

Both Tommy and Jason rolled their eyes. 

"You want to ask? I don’t think I can without throttling him," Tommy muttered under his breath. 

"You’re gonna owe me for this," Jason whispered back. Aloud, he caved to the inevitable. "All right, I’ll bite. Why should he avoid flames?" 

"Well, there’s so much goo on those spikes, they’d probably catch fire." 

"And the inflatable objects?" 

"Because they’re so pointy, they’d pop ‘em!"

**~o0o~**

Kat leaned over and quickly pecked Tommy on the cheek, much to his surprise.

"I never did thank you for telling Jason that he had your blessing," she explained. "Without it, I don’t think he’d have felt right pursuing a relationship with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We started a new Year (2003) and had a ton of fun making 'reality' part of the story ... hope you'll like this bit of lighthearted explanation of an unexpected change! (JDF cutting off his hair -- and for the record, Kat and Kim weren't the only ladies who hated the new look!)


	7. Worth The Wait

"If Dad was ambivalent about asking you out – I mean, as more than a friend – how _did_ the two of you get together?" Oliver asked, as fascinated as the women by now. At first, the men hadn't been all that enthusiastic when the photo albums came out and the reminiscing began, but what had been a rather boring activity when they'd been children was very intriguing now. Especially in light of how the two families would be joined at the source now, so to speak. 

"Weren't you still in London when you started dating?" 

Kat smiled. "Yes – but for once I was able to come home for my next-to-last midterm holiday in February of 2001. My father had accumulated a heap of frequent flyer miles, and offered to pay for the ticket. I didn't really feel like going anywhere else before my finals, coming home seemed like a good idea somehow, so I took him up on it. I'd just slept off my jet lag when …"

**~o0o~**

"Katherine! Phone!"

"What? Who is it?" 

Kat took the receiver from her mother with a questioning look; who knew she was home from London? But Doris Hillard already was back on her way to the kitchen, preoccupied with dinner. With a shrug, the blonde held the plastic device to her ear. Really, the possibilities of the caller's identity were pretty slim; only her friends were aware of her schedule at all, and of them only one would be in Angel Grove right now. She felt her pulse quicken slightly. 

"Hello?" 

_"Hello, Kat."_

Bingo. That deep, warm voice was unmistakable. A pleased smile lit up Kat's face. 

"Hi, Jason. How are you, and how did you know I was home?" 

His chuckle drifted into her ear. _"Hey, you always have a vacation around this time of year, don't you? I checked my calendar, counted on my fingers, took a chance your Mom would know where you are … and got lucky. And I'm fine, thanks."_

"That's good to know," Kat replied. At least one of them was okay then. She'd heard last year that Jason had finally broken up with Emily, and apparently he was over the experience. Not an easy thing to accomplish, as she well knew from her own recent past. If a couple living in the same town couldn't sustain a long-term relationship, what chance had she and Tommy had, separated by a whole ocean? Kat was very relieved that Jason, who felt things so deeply at times, seemed to have come out of it relatively unscathed. 

As for herself, though … she just couldn't seem to shake a certain melancholy, caused in part by a still-lingering sadness over her break-up with Tommy, but also by her growing dissatisfaction with her chosen career path. Oh, she still loved dancing, no mistake about that, but the touring last year had been more strenuous than she'd anticipated. And there were other reasons, too, things she'd never dreamed of … with an effort, she gathered in her wandering thoughts and concentrated on her phone conversation. 

"Was there any particular reason you called, or did you just want to chat a little?" she asked. Even if it was only the latter, it would be nice … _very_ nice, actually … to talk to Jason in person again. He was a good listener, they'd visited a lot of the same places in Europe, he never seemed to get bored when she told ballet stories – they could even talk about a few sub-titled art house films they'd both seen. Kat, because she genuinely liked French romantic comedies, and Jason because he wanted to keep up the French he'd learned at the Peace Conference. 

_"Believe it or not, I do have a reason for once,"_ he told her. _"My classes were cancelled for today due to a budget meeting or something, and I thought I'd drive up the coast a ways. The weather report says it's going to stay nice and sunny all day, and the surf ought to be good. I'm in the mood to play in the water some … wanna come with?"_

The thought was tempting, but … 

"I don't know, Jason," Kat hedged. "I'm not really in the right mood to …" To do what? Play? Let herself be distracted from her problems? She couldn't rightfully say, so she trailed off, never finishing her sentence. 

There was a brief pause, then Jason's voice changed from cheery to soft and comforting. _"Kat … if it's about Tommy … he told me. About you guys breaking up, I mean. If you need to talk … I'm willing to listen."_

That was _exactly_ what she needed, Kat realized. Sure, she'd written Tanya and Aisha about it, and they had been very sympathetic in their replies, but it was different if you could unburden yourself face-to-face with a good friend. And Jason certainly was that. However, he was first and foremost _Tommy's_ best friend. Could she trust him to be impartial? 

The second she had that thought, Kat dismissed it as unworthy. He had never played favorites, not even among them. And it would do her good to tell her side to someone who knew them both, who had been there – who would understand. 

_"Besides, I owe you one,"_ Jason broke into her musings. _"You were there for me a year ago when I needed a willing ear for my troubles with Emily. The least I can do is return the favor, even if it's after the fact."_

"That's true," Kat admitted. She allowed herself another moment of indecision while Jason waited patiently for her answer. At last, she mentally shook herself. "Oh, very well. If you're sure you don't mind …" 

_"Yes, I am. And there's no reason we can't talk on the beach, can't we?"_

It seemed as if Jason was determined she was going to have fun, whether she wanted to or not. His tone was gently wheedling, and she could picture exactly the puppy-dog eyes he was probably making. It was a look all of her male friends had perfected. Laughing softly, Kat gave in gracefully. 

"All right, you talked me into it," she mock-grumbled. "Just let me pack a beach bag." 

_"Great! I'll pick you up in … half an hour, say?"_

That would give her barely enough time to hunt up her neoprene suit (a necessity, because even though California was having an unseasonably warm spell for February, the sea would still be winter-cold), but suddenly Kat found herself eager to get out of the too-silent house. Besides, Jason wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes if she needed them, she was sure. 

"I'll be ready."

**~o0o~**

The beach was everything he'd promised her and more, and for a couple of hours, the two rode the near-perfect waves until they were exhausted. Laughing, they lugged their surf boards onto the beach and back to their blanket. As she reached for a towel to dry her hair, Kat realized that for this brief span of time, she'd truly been able to forget, to relax. She smiled to herself. Now the more serious part was at hand, the talking, but somehow she didn't mind; it just made her feel good inside to know she _had_ someone to talk to at last.

A relieved groan from Jason made her peer out from under her towel. He was peeling the soaked wetsuit off his broad shoulders. 

"Man, I'm always _so_ glad to get out of these things! I know they're necessary for protection, but still … getting in and out is a total drag!" 

"Especially out," Kat agreed, watching him unobtrusively – and with not-so-secret pleasure. She and Tanya had often indulged in ogling the guys like this while still at school; their male friends were an attractive bunch, after all, and they'd both agreed that no red-blooded girl could wish for better eye candy. And to see Jason practically strip before her very eyes was … mouth-watering. 

_Down, girl!_ she admonished herself, nearly starting to drool as the thick material slid down trim hips. To ensure a better fit of the suit, Jason was wearing tight black spandex briefs underneath instead of more loosely-fitting shorts. And they were wet, too, molding tightly to his rear as he bent over to spread the suit out to dry. Every muscle, dip, bulge and crevice was clearly outlined. Kat suddenly found herself itching to touch him, to run her hands all over that glistening, smooth skin. _No! This is Jason – your friend, fellow ex-Ranger, a guy you went to school with! You simply don't think of him that way!_ It didn't help; the sun-bronzed cut physique was just too tempting. 

_Oh, my._

Confused and surprised at herself, Kat felt the blood rise in her cheeks. To cover her unexpected reaction, she turned away and angled behind her back for her own suit's zipper. The fabric cord attached to it proved elusive, though, and she exclaimed softly in dismay. 

"Oh blast!" 

Looking up, Jason recognized her difficulty at once. 

"Problem reaching the zipper?" he asked with an understanding smile. "Here, let me help." 

Before she could protest, he stepped behind her and deftly opened the closure from her neck to her hips. It was an action that he (and the others) had performed for her dozens of times; why was it that Kat suddenly felt a not-unpleasant shiver run down her spine that had very little to do with being wet, or the light breeze ruffling her long tresses? 

The feeling intensified as Jason oh-so-helpfully folded the suit's flaps forward, baring her back and shoulders. Kat was wearing a perfectly ordinary swimsuit underneath, but she was all of a sudden excruciatingly conscious of the fact that her back was nearly totally _naked_ … and that it would take less than half a step backwards for her to lean against Jason's equally bare chest. Why, she could even feel his body warmth radiating out towards her! 

She couldn't remember ever feeling that way. Not even with Tommy. At least, not in public, and under perfectly ordinary, innocent circumstances. 

Flustered and unaccountably excited, Kat shrugged the large hands off her shoulders as she took herself to task. 

_Nothing's happened. Jason isn't touching me other than as a friend. He is not interested in me that way. He's done this before. I am not interested in him that way._ ('Liar!' a little voice inside her head she'd never heard before mocked. Kat ignored it.) _I'm seeing things. I have to be! I need a friend, not a … a lover. More precisely, I need to get a grip! Now!_

"Th-thanks," she murmured, swallowing to get rid of the sudden dryness in her mouth. "I can manage from here on." 

To her relief – and secret disappointment – Jason immediately let her go. 

"You're welcome," he said simply, turning away and busying himself with their boards. And surely it was her imagination that his voice had sounded huskier than normal.

**~o0o~**

For his part, Jason was extremely thankful to have a reason, however spurious, to turn his back on Katherine. He'd thought nothing of offering to help her with her suit; after all, he'd done so before, but for some reason peeling the heavy material off her shoulders had a very definite effect on him all of a sudden. A _physical_ effect, to be precise.

 _It … it felt as if I was undressing her,_ he thought, fighting his body's reaction. _I've seen her in a swimsuit before; why is this so different today?_

He had no ready answer. And he wasn't sure he wanted one; too vivid was the memory of how her slender back emerged from the wetsuit under his clumsy-feeling hands, the sleek skin all rosy and smooth and looking so very, very touchable. It had taken all of his control not to bend down and kiss the spot directly between Kat's shoulder blades – the one where he knew she was ticklish from a time when helping her out of her suit had been an innocent endeavour. 

Used to be ruthlessly honest with himself, Jason suppressed a groan. _There's absolutely nothing innocent about the way I just felt,_ he realized. _Oh man, I'm in trouble!_

**~o0o~**

Thankfully for his peace of mind, Kat pulled a loose t-shirt over her swimwear. After a moment's consideration, Jason did the same – the shirt wasn't going to help his tan any, but it _did_ cover a multitude of sins … like certain too-eager parts of his anatomy. Safely covered, he sank down on their blanket, accepting the can of soda Kat took from the cooler they'd brought. The mundane task of sipping his drink and munching on an apple soon restored his equilibrium, though, and Jason was able to ask Kat what was bothering her.

"So what exactly has you so bummed? Is it Tommy, the fact that the two of you broke up?" 

"No," she replied without hesitation, then amended her statement. "Well … maybe a little. But I'm not carrying a torch for him, or anything; it's just that I'm still a little sad that it's over, you know? I invested a lot of myself into our relationship, and to realize it wasn't going to go anywhere, that it had just run its course …" 

"It hurts, huh?" 

"Yeah." 

Jason gave her an understanding smile; he'd been in a very similar situation after he'd broken up with Emily. 

"Just be glad you were able to remain friends," was all he said. His own parting with his girlfriend last year had been somewhat less than amicable. Not that they had quarreled, exactly, but Emily had felt bitterly disappointed and hadn't hesitated to let Jason know it. A lot of harsh words had been said in the heat of the moment. So, even though they said their final good-byes civilly enough, there remained an unpleasant aftertaste that it had taken Jason weeks to lose. 

"Oh, we are. Neither one of us hates the other, after all. It's just, at this juncture Tommy and I expect different things from life, and we couldn't make them mesh." 

"I'm sorry," Jason offered sincerely. 

"Don't be. But thanks anyway." Kat smiled briefly into his warm eyes, then looked away again, playing absently with a fold in the blanket. If that were only the sole reason why she was feeling so down! 

"You're welcome." 

Jason waited a few minutes, not wanting to pressure his friend, but he was perceptive enough of Kat's moods to know there was something else weighing on her mind. However, when she made no attempt to talk, just sighed softly once or twice, he decided that he needed to prod her just a little. 

"Kat? I'm not trying to pry, but … is there something else that's wrong? You really seem upset about something …" 

She gave him a considering look. Should she burden Jason with her problems? After all, she knew there was nothing he could do … except listen. 

_Maybe that's what I need, though; an impartial ear. I can't very well go to my parents with this; they supported my dream of becoming a dancer for so long, paid a great deal for my education, too … I don't want to disappoint them …and Jason's a good listener. Very well then._

Decision made, Kat cleared her throat.Instead of answering his question, she posed one of her own. 

"Jase … when you decided to go into business with Rocky, how did you know it was the right choice for you? Your grades were good enough; you could have gotten into almost any college, taken up any career …" 

He chuckled, slightly surprised by what he thought was something of a _non sequitur_. "I have no idea, really. I wanted to have my own karate school for as long as I can remember – becoming partners with Rocky seemed the next best thing, and that much faster. And as for other careers … when it comes down to it, in most jobs I'm even remotely interested in I'd end up behind a desk most of the time. Not for me, thank you very much. I need to _do_ stuff, not just push paper." 

"But why go to college at all, then? You could have joined him right after graduation." 

"Yeah, I could have, and I did consider it, but with my business degree we can save on a bookkeeper, we're less likely to be cheated … besides, you know I've been teaching part time at his place from the start." 

Kat nodded, seeing the sense in that. "You've had your karate instructor's license for a long time, haven't you?" 

"Since I was fifteen, yes." 

"Then why get an additional Phys. Ed. teaching degree? It's not as if you need it, and it took you out of the dojo for longer." 

Kat seemed genuinely interested, so Jason explained. "Well, you see … there's no telling if ultimately the dojo will support all three of us, especially if we should ever get married and have families. Rocky's back might give out, Tommy or I could be injured or otherwise unable to go on, the economy might collapse … there's a dozen reasons why the business could fail. And if it does, I'll have something to fall back on, doing what I like – working with kids, teaching sports. It won't be my dream any longer, but a pretty good substitute. Or I could provide extra income, like Tommy has been doing so far." 

"I never thought of that," the blonde dancer admitted, a trace of admiration in her voice. "It sounds as if you really thought it all through." 

He shrugged, equally pleased and embarrassed at the implied compliment. "I had to. I don't want to have to crawl back to my parents, tail between my legs, and have to admit I've followed a pipe dream. They busted their butts for years to put up my college fund; it's thanks to them I can graduate with only minimal loans to pay off." 

At his words, a shadow crossed the lovely features, and Jason stopped, suddenly alert. "Kat? What's wrong? Did I say something to make you uncomfortable, or …?" 

Katherine sighed. "It's nothing." 

"Yeah, right. You wouldn't look as if someone had just stolen your tutu if everything was fine and dandy," he chided gently, chucking a finger under her chin. "I'd have to be as dense as Bulk and Skull not to see that it's far more than 'nothing'." 

She gave him a wan smile, fighting an impulse to snuggle against that broad chest and let Jason hold her, keeping her safe and warm until her troubles went away. Unfortunately, she knew life didn't work that way. "It's a pretty boring thing, really," she hedged. 

"Why don't you let me decide that, hmm?" Jason cajoled with a wink. "Come on, you know you can tell me!" 

She glanced at him from under her lashes, secretly grateful that he insisted. She _really_ needed to unload. "If you're sure?" 

"Yes, silly, I am," he stated firmly, "or I wouldn't have offered. Talk!" 

Kat fidgeted for another minute, trying to find a place to start, then heaved a deep breath. "It … it's my career," she admitted softly. "I thought this last year, going on tour with the ballet, would be what I dreamed of, but … it isn't." 

Jason nodded thoughtfully; he'd heard much the same from both Tommy and Kimberly. He thought he knew what was bothering his friend. "Being on the road so much, living out of suitcases can be rough, right?" 

"Yes, although that's not all of it; I more or less knew what to expect. After all, Tommy complained often enough about it." Kat cracked a tiny smile. "It's more … I hadn't counted on the sheer rivalry going on among the troupe dancers, the intrigues, the outright and the hidden backstabbing … I thought the scholarship audition was already bad! 'Competition' doesn't even come close anymore," Kat sighed. 

"Ouch." 

She snorted lightly. "Yeah. What's more, while I like Europe, I don't really want to live there on a permanent basis – and job opportunities here are few and far between. Broadway is hopelessly crowded with talent, and I didn't study classical ballet to prance around half-naked on a Las Vegas stage, either." 

The mere thought made Jason's throat tighten. "What?" 

"That's about the only serious offer I had – to work as a show dancer. No thanks." 

While part of him wanted nothing more than to see Kat in one of those provocative outfits, all feathers, a few sequins and lots of bare skin, another part knew that he'd try to punch out the lights of every guy who'd get to look at her like that. Surprised by the intensity of his reaction, Jason was uncomfortably aware that it was due to a good deal of possessiveness he was feeling towards his lovely friend. 

_She's mine!_

Only, Kat wasn't – not really, anyway. _But I sure wish she were – if not for Tommy._

Jason almost smacked his forehead. Tommy – or his relationship with Kat – wasn't an issue anymore. They'd broken up. And his best friend had practically given his blessing to any of them pursuing a relationship with her already, when Rocky had joked about asking Kat out. At the time, he'd assumed his misgivings about that were merely based on the fact that, friend or not, Rocky and Kat would be a mismatch personality-wise, but … what if it was more? For him? 

Did _he_ care about Kat as more than a friend? 

_I could,_ Jason realized. _Easily. Heck, who am I kidding? I already do – have done so for a while, even. Now the question is, how does Kat feel about me? Would she be willing to let what we have grow and change? Can I take the chance she might say no?_

Again, he had no answer. But this time, he wanted one. And he determined to find it. 

Forcing his wayward thoughts back from his love life to Kat's more immediate problem, Jason gave her a comforting smile. "I don't blame you. Besides, it's not exactly as if there's a lot of job security in that kind of thing, is there?" 

"No." 

"There's really no opportunity to join a _corps de ballet_ anywhere? What about Boston, Los Angeles, the other big cities with permanent theaters?" 

Kat chuckled mirthlessly. "You think I haven't tried? I sent out a bunch of applications, even had a few interviews last summer while we were touring. Nothing. Wait, that's not precisely true. There _were_ two offers, Chicago and Philadelphia, but … one place in effect told me that due to my height, which _is_ slightly above average for a dancer, I'd be stuck in the chorus line for the duration of my contract. Now I don't mind paying my dues – I'm not that brilliant to get hired for leading roles straight out of the Academy – but I _was_ hoping for the minor, supporting ones. Guess not. 

"The other place was even worse. They said I might eventually graduate to getting featured parts, but … on a condition." 

Her smile was bitter, and Jason found himself wishing that he could hug her, to smooth the unhappy frown off her forehead with a gentle kiss or two. But as that was out of the question, he confined himself to taking her restive hands in his and giving them a friendly squeeze. 

"What condition, Kat?" A thought occurred to him. "Your interviewer didn't make any indecent proposals to you, did he?" The idea alone was enough to make his blood boil with anger. 

"No, nothing of the sort. No personnel manager would dare; it's too easy to file sexual harassment charges these days." 

"Then what was it?" Jason asked, genuinely curious now. 

"I was told that I was 'too big'," Kat murmured, fresh humiliation at the comment making her blush. "In order to get hired, I was supposed to lose fifteen pounds, minimum." It did her a world of good to hear Jason's reaction, who, after a stunned minute, broke into incredulous laughter. 

"They've got to be kidding, right? You have an excellent figure; there's no way anyone in their right minds would consider you 'big'," he scoffed. "What an idiot!" 

"Thanks; I needed to hear that," Kat smiled, pleased by the compliment. "But it's nonetheless true." 

Jason just shook his head. He'd never understood the obsession with weight a lot of performers seemed to share. Sure, it wouldn't do to gain, but where was the beauty in being all skin and bones? 

"Will you be trying to lose that much weight?" 

She sighed. "I can't. I've always had to watch my weight a little, more so since attending the Academy, but I know my body pretty well – it's impossible for me to slim down much more without downright starving myself or any other help." At Jason's questioning look, she elaborated. "Chemical help. Diet pills, emetics …" 

"Good grief, Kat, you're not seriously thinking of taking that crap, are you?" Jason exclaimed, shock and sudden anger warring in his voice. "That's dangerous!" 

"No, no, don't worry. I have better sense than that!" 

He slumped in relief. "Good!" 

There was an expression in his eyes that made her wonder … "Why are you so upset, anyway? You ought to know me better." 

"I do," he replied, "but … I know how big a temptation this kind of thing can be." 

"You do? How?" 

"Not about diet pills, but anabolics, steroids … well, any kind of doping, really," Jason said succinctly. "I know it's not quite the same, but it's a close enough thing, I think. Not that it's a very big problem in the martial arts community; those who are really serious about it, who consider it more than just a sport, try to live up to the tenets. But it _does_ happen, and there are enough unscrupulous coaches and competitors out there that you can't help but be aware of what's going on behind closed doors. There was one time … I was at a tournament, and struggling with a nasty cold. I was feeling pretty lousy, was worrying about my performance … anyway, long story short, one of the other participants, not in my weight class, offered me some pills. I _really_ wanted to win, so … for a minute, I actually considered taking him up on it. Luckily, common sense kicked in, so I didn't." 

Kat thought to herself that it was equal parts his sense of honor and basic decency that hadn't allowed Jason to cheat, but confined herself to a nod. A hitherto unknown part of her thrilled to the thought that this was yet another thing she shared with Jason; she couldn't imagine Tommy ever admitting to anything like that. He had this need to appear as perfect as possible at all times that could be rather exasperating. With a small sigh, she agreed with her companion. 

"It's a temptation alright. Especially … what girl doesn't want to lose weight? But I consulted a nutritionist once; I'm really at the lowest point, weight-wise, that's safe for my health. And while I could never prove anything, I'm pretty certain at least a couple of girls in the troupe are bulimic already. I don't want to go down _that_ road at all." 

"Whew." 

She had to laugh as he wiped an imaginary sweatdrop off his forehead, feeling better already for being able to talk to him and having found complete understanding instead of platitudes and an attitude of 'it's one of the hazards you have to live with if you want success' that she had gotten from the one older colleague she'd confided in. 

"Yeah, well … being sensible doesn't solve my dilemma, though. I'm almost finished with my education, and not a bit closer to an idea what to do with it once I graduate this summer." 

"I guess not." 

Silence fell between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable; rather, it was a thoughtful stillness during which both mulled things over in their minds while subconsciously basking in their closeness. At last, Jason shook himself like a wet puppy. 

"Let's take a walk, shall we? Maybe moving around some will help us get our brains in gear." 

"Sure." 

Kat was pleased and grateful that Jason so naturally made her problem his own; he might not be able to help her as such, but it was obvious that he'd willingly serve as her sounding board. Which was pretty much what she'd hoped to find, anyway.

**~o0o~**

Quickly, they stowed their surfing gear in Jason's car, slipped on their clothes and went back down to the beach, wandering off towards the rocky part of the shore. The Rangers had fought quite a number of battles there, and for a while, they both indulged in memories as they clambered around the wet stones.

Neither seemed to think it odd in any way that Jason took Kat's hand to help her over rocks she was perfectly able to negotiate on her own. It just felt too right to touch, to be close like this. 

Eventually, they reached the small cove with the cave where they'd hidden Trey of Triforia after saving him from both drowning and Mondo's henchmen. Deciding to take a breather, they sat down on the sun-warmed sand behind a larger rock, and Kat looked at Jason with a small smile. 

"Well?" 

"Well what?" 

"Has moving around helped you any in coming up with ideas for my situation? I know it didn't work for me, unfortunately," she sighed, her good mood vanishing. 

He shrugged helplessly. "Not really, sorry. I just don't know enough about ballet, the stage and so on to give you any concrete advice. I wish I could, but …" 

Kat slumped despondently, her blue eyes slowly filling with tears. "Jason, I really am at my wits' end," she sniffled. "Maybe it's just graduation jitters, but lately I feel as if all of my dreams are vanishing into thin air one after the other. First there was the accident which cost me a chance at the Pan Globals, then we had to give up our Powers, lastly breaking up with Tommy … the only thing I had left was becoming a dancer. I truly believed I had it made at last; and now, six months from my goal, it's turning from a dream into a nightmare! Come fall, what am I going to do if I can't get a job I like?" 

A lone tear slipped out and rolled slowly down her smooth cheek. It proved too much for Jason. Instinctively, he reached across the small distance separating them and drew Kat into his arms. Tucking her head against his neck, he held her as close as he could. 

"Ah, don't say that, honey," he murmured soothingly. "You had very little influence on the first two – none of it was your fault. You and Tommy breaking up … according to him, it was a mutual decision, wasn't it?" She nodded mutely. "So again – not your fault. And as for your dancing …we just have to think harder. Or maybe change the way we look at things." 

_Still 'we',_ she marveled. _Not just me, but the two of us together. Like partners, friends …telling me with one little word that I'm not alone in this, that I'll have his help and support no matter what._

The thought was comforting, bracing … and thrilling. A strange mixture of emotions that had the blonde wondering what exactly she was feeling for Jason. And whether her feelings were changing maybe just a bit to something much deeper than they used to be up to now. Which seemed suddenly so very right, and fitting – as if it was something that had just been waiting to happen for a long time. And _that_ thought was somehow scarier than her uncertainty about her future career. 

_What if he doesn't feel the same?_

Katherine shied away from the idea, not wanting to know. Right now, she had to concentrate on her professional problems, not on her love life. Determinedly pushing her half-realized hopes as far back into her mind as they would go, she snuggled into his embrace, appreciating the feel of solid muscle surrounding her. Somehow, she felt safe now, warm and protected … anchored where before she'd been adrift. The soft rumble of Jason's low voice vibrated in his chest, adding to her comfort. 

"But how?" she asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. "I've racked my brain until it hurt, and I'm still no closer to a solution." 

"What about a backup plan? I mean, surely you must've thought about what you were going to do if things didn't work out. Like, what if you'd never gotten that scholarship? Or if you had injured yourself at school, or didn't make the grade. I can think of any number of things that might have gone wrong without it being your responsibility." 

"Sort of. But only for after – y'know? Once I've _had_ my career … I thought I might like teaching ballet. It's what a lot of dancers do if they get too old or are injured out of performing." She looked at him a bit sheepishly. "Maybe that makes me short-sighted, but I never imagined that I would _not_ become a professional." 

Jason smiled back reassuringly; he'd had that same attitude not too long ago, thinking himself invincible – believing that everything he ever wanted would be within his grasp if he only worked hard enough. But leading the Rangers had taught him that it _always_ paid to have a Plan B. And nearly dying from losing the Gold Power had put things into perspective for him even more. 

"It's only natural," he murmured. "But Kat … is there any reason you can't look at that plan now, instead of in the future someday? I seem to remember that you really liked working with the girls when we were still at school. And it looked as if you were pretty good at it, too." 

Kat frowned. "I'm not sure. It's something you usually do only once you retire …" 

"Says who?" 

Baffled, she shrugged. "Well … everybody, I guess …" Even to her own ears, Kat knew how lame that sounded. 

Jason looked down at her just a bit sternly. "Everybody is not you. If what you thought you wanted doesn't turn out right, why shouldn't you consider other options, even if it's not the way 'they' usually do things? This is _your_ life, Kat, not everybody else's." 

"I know," she whispered, blushing. She hung her head, just a tad ashamed, but to her relief found that her friend wasn't pushing her away, that Jason held her just as securely as before. She also realized at the back of her mind that she _liked_ being held by him. Far more than she possibly should, but there was no way she was moving from where she was. 

Another silence fell, during which Jason patiently waited for Kat to think over what they'd just discussed. He wasn't disappointed; after only a couple of minutes, she raised her eyes to his once more. 

"That's what you meant earlier, isn't it?" she murmured, a sense of dawning understanding in her voice. "About changing the way I look at things." 

"Uh huh." 

"Teaching ballet … I'd have to take more classes in choreography, some instruction in the physiological aspects of dancing, learn how to deal with a classroom situation … it would mean at least a year or so at a conservatory or college," she mused out loud, getting excited despite herself. It wasn't what she'd always imagined she'd be doing in the near future, but it was at least an option where she had had none before. "But where would I apply? And how can I ask my parents to support me financially for even longer than they already have?" 

The dark-haired young man smiled reassuringly at her. "Your folks never struck me as being unreasonable; don't you think that if you honestly told them about your misgivings, they wouldn't understand?" 

"No, of course they would." 

Jason grinned and winked. "I thought so. And as for which school to choose … have you forgotten that Angel Grove has a Conservatory? Surely you could live at home again for a while, cutting down on expenses …" 

"…and maybe student-teach or something, to earn a little extra or cut down on tuition fees," Kat realized, getting caught up with the whole idea. _This might just work!_ "After all, my degree from the Royal Academy should count for _something_!" 

"It should," Jason agreed with a twinkle in his eyes. He felt inordinately pleased that it seemed as if he'd been able to help Kat, after all. "Will you at least think about it?" 

"Oh, definitely," Kat promised, feeling a huge load slowly lift from her mind. "I have to graduate first, though, talk things through with my parents, look into the possibilities at AGC … oh my, there goes the rest of my vacation," she wailed comically. 

Jason chuckled. "Better it go that way than you spend it worrying about your future." 

"Yes, much better," Kat agreed fervently. "Thank you for helping me – for opening my eyes," she said, impulsively angling upwards to kiss Jason on the cheek. Only, as it happened, he shifted position when she did, turned his head just a fraction more towards her than she'd reckoned with, and instead of an innocent peck like they had shared countless times, their lips brushed against each others'. 

It was electrifying. 

Kat's eyes snapped open wide and she gasped softly. Jason froze into a living statue, his mouth hovering only a fraction of an inch above hers. Breaths mingled, and hearts began to beat like triphammers as two pairs of eyes locked. The expression in the midnight-dark depths shook Kat to her core, and a tiny sound escaped her – part moan, part denial … and part surrender. 

Hope suddenly surging high, Jason took what he would later think of as the biggest chance in his lifetime and closed the distance between them. Whisper-soft, his lips touched Kat's once more, and when she didn't protest he could feel his blood sing until he was dizzy with triumph and gratitude. After a second's hesitation, she melted into the kiss, becoming pliant in his arms as her lids fluttered shut and she gave herself up to the tender caress. 

Only the need for oxygen managed to separate them at last. Easing back slightly, reluctance in every line of her body, Kat flushed a delicate pink. Jason wouldn't let her retreat too far; he still cradled her in one arm while he freed one hand to gently brush through her hair. 

"Wow," he murmured huskily, eyes glowing. 

"Mmm," Kat replied in a dreamy tone, feeling her lips still tingle. 

Jason's delighted chuckle vibrated through her as he took the inarticulate sound for consent and kissed her again, much longer and more thoroughly this time. Kat offered no resistance, was indeed meeting him more than halfway as she threaded her arms around his shoulders and just _felt_. 

An untold time later, she found herself draped sideways across Jason's lap, her forehead resting against his throat while he dusted tiny kisses on her hair. 

"What's happening to us?" she queried, slightly dazed. "We're friends; friends don't kiss each other like we just did …" 

"They do when they start to fall in love with each other," Jason replied, his deep voice more gentle than Kat had ever heard it. "Because I have, you know." The low rumble soothed, but the meaning of his words excited her beyond bearing. Wide-eyed with wonder, she glanced up at him. 

"L-love?" she stammered. "Y-you're falling in l-love with m-me?" 

"Yes." 

"Oohh." 

A slight frown creased Jason's forehead. Had he misread Kat's compliance? 

"You don't mind, do you?" he asked worriedly. 

Slowly, Kat shook her head. "I don't think so. No." 

He slumped in relief. "Whew. For a second there, I thought …" 

Tenderly, she touched his cheek. "Jason, I could never be anything but pleased and honoured that you feel so about me. Thank you. You've given me a gift I never expected, and I am truly touched. But …" Kat paused, momentarily undecided. Should she spoil this wonderful moment with misgivings? Then, she firmed her resolve. Jason was her friend; he deserved total honesty from her – and she wouldn't cheapen whatever was between them with anything less. 

"But what?" 

Kat sighed softly, wistfully. Smiling to take any sting out of her words, she said what she felt she must. 

"Jase, I care deeply about you. Please, never doubt that. And …" she blushed slightly, remembering her earlier reactions towards him, "… I believe it can become more. _Much_ more. But right now, I need to get my life in order first; make decisions about my job, my future. I think I'd like it a great deal if that future included you, but …I need time to sort everything out. I can't – no, make that I _won't_ – make such an important choice without weighing all the possibilities." 

Jason swallowed his disappointment. Kat was right – she had enough on her plate just now, and by rushing things, he was complicating her life unnecessarily. No matter how much he wanted to claim her as hers, he'd have to give her space. 

"Fair enough," he sighed. "I don't have to like it though, do I?" 

"No. And I'm not blowing you off, dearest," she whispered, smoothing his eyebrows with a dainty fingertip. "All I'm asking for is some time. I don't want to hurt you. Ever." 

He ventured a small, rueful grin. "I know you don't. Same here. Sorry if I've made it more difficult for you." 

"You haven't. If anything, you've given me an extra incentive to decide," Katherine murmured. "But I need to graduate first. Can you wait until summer?" 

"I'll have to, won't I?" 

"I'm afraid so." 

"Then I'll wait," Jason replied simply, firmly. "You're worth it." 

"Thank you." She reached up and drew the dark head down into another, very sweet kiss that was both a promise and good-bye. For now.

**~o0o~**

Kat groaned as she tried pushing her heavily-loaded baggage cart towards the customs exit. Even with the bulk of her belongings having been shipped home as cargo, she still had two large suitcases and three smaller bags to maneuver.

She'd graduated with honors from the Royal Academy, and was returning to Angel Grove to start a year or so of extra studies at the Conservatory to become a dance teacher. Ultimately, it had been easier than she'd thought it would be to give up her erstwhile dream of becoming a ballerina – more so as her instructors had heartily approved of her plans, telling her she had a real gift for teaching that was more valuable than trying to compete for the few openings at good ballet companies. 

At last, her baggage was checked. With an effort, Kat set the cart to moving again and pushed it through the heavy metal sliding doors. She moved along the cordoned-off corridor, towards the waiting area. Already she could see the happily-smiling faces of her parents waiting for her. Quickening her step, she let herself be swept up into their arms, answering questions, babbling excitedly how glad she was to be back again … until she happened to look over her mother's shoulder and saw a broad-shouldered figure leaning against the far wall. 

Short dark hair, sculpted torso clad in a tight black polo shirt, stone-washed jeans moulded to lean hips … and a pair of eyes looking at her with a mute question and a great deal of hope. 

"Excuse me for a minute, Mum," she interrupted her mother and disengaged herself from her motherly hug. "There's someone I need to see." Taken aback, Doris Hillard let go of her daughter. 

"Of course, baby, who …" 

Kat didn't even hear her question. Slowly, she walked towards Jason, who straightened as she approached him. 

"Hello," he murmured, feasting his eyes on her slender loveliness. How he'd missed her these past few months! 

"Hi," Kat replied softly, not trusting her voice to remain steady. She hadn't dared hope he'd come, although she knew now she'd wanted nothing more. 

"I was wondering … maybe you could need someone to help with your luggage," he offered neutrally. 

"I sure can," Kat answered, feeling her heart soar as she basked in his nearness. When Jason smiled just a bit uncertainly, her last faint doubts vanished. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she nevertheless gathered her courage and met his eyes fully. "I also need you for far more than your strength," she whispered. 

"Oh? What would that be?" Jason wanted to know, his pulse speeding up to an impossible tempo. Was his dream coming true, after all? 

Kat let her smile blossom, letting it spread over her face as happiness suffused her. Boldly, she put a hand on Jason's chest, feeling his heart beat under her palm. Without asking, she knew it pulsed for her. 

"I need you as my friend and my confidant. You've become my advisor and my rock. I need you like I need air to breathe … and I can't imagine my life without you," she confessed. 

"Are you sure?" Jason asked, suddenly breathless. 

"Completely," Kat answered, letting the truth ring in her voice. 

Dark eyes ignited with a fire that both warmed and scorched. She sank willingly into his fierce embrace, and when they found each other in a kiss full of love and passion, Katherine knew that of all the choices she'd made these past few months, this was the most right of all. 

She had come home at last.

**~o0o~**

"During the last few months I spent in London, we wrote to each other regularly – one long letter a week," Kat reminisced, smiling.

"You mean, ink on paper?" her youngest son wanted to know. "How archaic, Mom!" 

"Don't put it down, Jared," his mother chided gently. "I still have those letters, and the fact that Jason wrote them by hand, that he had touched every single sheet, makes them an even more precious memento." 

"You don't get that from email printouts," Lynne agreed, a bit misty-eyed. "I think it's very sweet, especially since you had to wait over a week for replies." 

"Oh, we had contact in between," Kat revealed with a nostalgic smile. "Every Sunday of our separation, Jason called me at eight o'clock in the morning. Never for long, because of the high transatlantic call charges, but he _did_ spend maybe $5 each week " 

"Ugh, why so early? Didn't you ever want to sleep in?" 

"It was most convenient for both of us; 8am Sunday in London is Saturday midnight here in California. After the first month, I lived for his calls. And Jason _never_ failed. It was more than worth waking up for." 

"Dad the Romantic at work?" her daughter smiled. 

"Very much so. We basically dated by phone until I came home for good. And when he kissed me at the airport … I didn't need to hear the actual words. I knew, just by looking at him." 

"Knew what, Mom?" Oliver asked, although he had a pretty good idea. This memory stuff was getting good! 

Kat's blue eyes grew distant as she lost herself in the past again for an instant. 

"We were in love."


	8. Endings And Beginnings

"When was that one taken, Uncle Tommy?" Lynne asked, still silently stunned that her uncle was about to become her stepfather. Although, Tommy had been the father figure in her life since her own had passed away. After having heard the story of how her parents had fallen in love, they had resumed flipping through the pictures and had come upon one that struck them all as being very sad somehow. "You’re all there: you, Aunt Kim, Dad, Uncle Billy and Uncle Zack. You’re all smiling, but none of you look happy." 

"And who’s that in the photo Aunt Kim’s holding?" Oliver queried. 

"Mrs. Kwan gave each of us a copy," Tommy explained, his thoughtful expression touched with sadness. "This was taken the day of Kim’s best friend Trini’s memorial." 

"My namesake," Trini interjected. 

"Yes. Mrs. Kwan had taken one of the six of us back when Trini, Jason and Zack were getting ready to leave for the Peace Conference. Six years later, she wanted to update the photo, only she put that picture of Trini in what would have been her spot." 

"I hadn’t really known Trini very well," Kat added. "She was already in Geneva when my family moved to Angel Grove, but I knew of her through the others. When I finally met her, she was the sweetest person you could have ever met." 

"The voice of calm and the soul of serenity among the rest of us rowdies," Tommy chuckled, "but she could also be as fierce as a tiger when it came to protecting friends and family. She was always the one who made us stop and think." 

"Jason was devastated when she died," Kat murmured. 

"He always thought of her like a sister," Tommy confirmed. "And so did Kim. She and Trini were more than just best friends." 

"Wasn’t the day of the memorial the day you and Mom got back together again?" Jay asked, familiar with his parents’ history. 

"Uh huh, it was one of the saddest and happiest days of my life ..."

**~o0o~**

Tommy didn’t even try to hold back the silent tears which trickled down his cheek, and he wasn’t alone in that particular display of emotion. Beside him, all the original Power Rangers were grieving for the loss of their friend and teammate.

They sat in their chairs in the funeral home surrounded by all of Trini’s friends and family. At the front of the parlor where the casket would normally rest was a shrine of flowers and candles with a picture of Trini prominently displayed in the center. Buddhist monks performed a traditional funeral ceremony for their friend; the Kwans had opted for a public venue to accommodate Trini’s many friends. 

_We always figured if anyone would die young, it would be me or Jason performing some stupid, heroic stunt, not Trini in an ordinary car wreck!_

As the monks said the prayers, Tommy looked to his companions. Zack, like him, was trying to be stoic and failing just as miserably. The former Black Ranger put his arm around Billy’s shoulders, which were shaking with his quiet sobs. They had all wondered more than once if the shy scientist’s feelings for Trini had run deeper than they knew. Apparently, they had. 

Next to him, Jason’s rigid frame shook with slight tremors, and the original Red Ranger clung tightly to the hand Kat had offered him. This was a helluva thing to come home to, Tommy mused, knowing she hadn’t been back in the States long. He truly hoped that Kat’s presence would help ease his best friend’s sorrow. 

That left Kimberly, who was seated on his left. She had given up trying to put on a brave front and was sobbing openly. Trini had been her best friend for as long as any of them could remember. They had lost touch for a while after Trini left for Geneva and Kim for Florida, but with Kim’s return to Angel Grove to go to school, they had reconnected. 

Mrs. Kwan had asked Kimberly to deliver the eulogy; she hadn’t been able to get through it without breaking up. 

Tommy instinctively reached out to comfort her, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. She turned to him, and without looking up, folded into his arms, buried her face in his coat and sobbed. 

Before he knew it, the memorial was over. They would not be going to the cemetery. There would be a private ceremony for the family later. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Kwan would like you all to join them at the Youth Center for food and drink," one of the monks announced. 

Ernie, God bless him, had offered to host the post-funeral luncheon in honor of Trini, and the Kwans gratefully accepted. He’d said it was the least he could do, since Trini had spent so much time at the Youth Center. 

Everyone else had started to file out of the funeral home, but Kim continued to cling to Tommy. 

"You guys coming?" Jason asked, his voice husky with choked emotion, as he got to his feet. 

"We’ll be there soon; I think Kim needs a little more time," Tommy responded, unconsciously smoothing his hand over Kim’s hair. He noticed that Kat had slipped her arm through Jason’s, and he smiled quietly to himself. He had wondered ... 

"We’ll tell the Kwans you’ll be a little late," Kat said, and she gently guided Jason towards the exit. 

Kim finally released Tommy, but instead of heading for the exit, she walked up to the shrine. Tommy gave her a few moments of privacy before approaching. 

"Come on, Kim," he said softly, and the grieving young woman numbly allowed herself to be led away. Tommy didn’t direct her to either of their vehicles but headed across the parking lot towards the park. 

It was a cold, gray September day, with rain threatening and a chill wind blowing in from the waterfront. It was as if all of Angel Grove was mourning Trini’s death. 

Tommy let the silence linger, hoping Kim would open up to him. When it became obvious that she wasn’t, he tried to get the ball rolling. 

"I’m glad Billy was able to be here," he ventured, figuring his questions about Billy’s presence to be a safe topic. 

"He loved her," Kim said at last, her tone wooden and lifeless. "He just couldn’t tell her ... But she knew, Tommy. She wanted him to say something ... she waited ... and now ..." 

"So, he only came back for the funeral?" 

"No, he’s home to stay. He’s been wanting to come back for a while, I think. Things didn’t work out with Cestria, but he was caught up in his research. The Aquitian Rangers felt a tremor in the Morphin’ Grid signaling a Ranger’s death. They were the ones who told Billy; none of us knew how to get a hold of him." 

Again, a forbidding silence welled up between them. They continued this way until their mindless wandering brought them to the bend by the pond. Finally, Tommy couldn’t take it any longer. He stopped, took hold of Kim’s shoulders and forced her to face him. 

"Talk to me, Kim. Let me help," he implored. 

She regarded him silently, lower lip quivering, eyes brimming with tears. Then, the dam broke. 

"It’s just not fair!" Kim raged, sobbing, her clenched fists striking Tommy’s chest. She needed to lash out, and Tommy let her. "She survived putties and monsters and all the crap Rita and Zedd dished out. How could she die in a stupid car crash? Why wasn’t she wearing a seat belt? She was always the most careful of all of us! Why? Whywhywhywhywhy ..." 

Her anger had burned itself out, but her grief continued to flow freely. Tommy held her, hoping she would draw strength and comfort from him. He stood there, holding her, just being there for her for as long as she needed. 

"I miss her," Kim sniffled at last. 

"We all do, Kim," Tommy choked out. 

It was at that admission that Kim looked up and saw her pain mirrored in his eyes. 

"Oh, Tommy ..." She flung her arms around him and held him as tightly as she could. He took the solace she offered, and shared his grief with her. 

It was a long time before either of them could speak. When Kim did so, her words were bitter. 

"I’m tired of losing people I care for. Dad – after the divorce. Mom – when she remarried and moved to Paris. You – because of gymnastics. Now Trini ... I’m tired of caring and hurting because of it ..." 

"Kim, if you didn’t care so much, you wouldn’t be you," he murmured, aching at hearing such desolation in her voice. He never could bear to see Kimberly sad. 

"You didn’t lose your parents, even though they moved away; they still love you," he continued. "Trini may be dead, but she’ll always be with you in spirit. As for me, you haven’t lost me either, Beautiful." 

Slowly, she raised tear-filled eyes to him, her expression one of astonishment. 

He really hadn’t meant to give voice to that something he’d held secret in his heart for so very long. He hadn’t wanted to bring it out in the open; he hadn’t wanted to have his hope destroyed. Yet, he could no longer deny it either. 

"I’m still here for you." 

He read wariness in her eyes, and he realized she was just as afraid as he was. She didn’t want her hopes dashed either. He smiled with a warmth that even the chill September day couldn’t banish. 

"I still love you, Kim," he declared, making his feelings plain to both of them. 

"Y-You do?" Kim stammered, scarcely able to believe her ears. 

"In spite of everything that happened, I don’t think I ever truly stopped," he confessed the truth that he had never wanted to admit, even to himself. "And I think I always will." 

He took her hand and gently caressed the back of it with his thumb. 

"Once upon a time, I know you felt that way about me, too. I hope you still do," he continued. "We can’t have happily ever after otherwise." 

"I do, Tommy. I still love you – always have, always will." 

He reached up to brush the tears from her cheek. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned close and kissed her. He had only intended a gentle brush of the lips, but the kiss lingered and grew in intensity until the two were entwined in each other’s arms, their bodies pressed tightly together. It was a kiss unlike any they had ever shared before. It left them both profoundly shaken. 

"T-Tommy?" Kim gasped when they finally, breathlessly, broke apart. "W-What just happened?" 

"I think we just decided to get back together again," he panted, flashing her a lopsided grin. Before he could give it a second thought, he pulled her to him once more and kissed her senseless, his blood singing and his heart soaring. He kissed her until he felt lightheaded and weak-kneed, and he held her as if he’d never let her go. 

That was what he’d been wanting to do for so long. It’s what he wanted to do when Kim first left for Florida. It’s what he should have done when she sent that stupid letter. 

Was this why his relationship with Kat failed? He cared for Kat – truly, he had, but holding her had never felt as right as having Kim in his arms felt right now. 

_Forgive me, Kat, for being a blind fool and hurting us both._

When he released Kim the second time, she was the one with weak knees, and she staggered into him. He caught her automatically. 

"What are we doing?" she cried out in anguish, pushing herself away. "We shouldn’t ... we can’t ..." 

"We can’t – what?" he wondered, his brimming heart turning to stone-cold lead in his chest. He feared her answer. 

"We shouldn’t be ... like this ... now ..." she fumbled tearfully, trying to make sense of her jumbled emotions. 

Her words didn’t feel like a rejection; he tried to remain calm. "Kim, you’re not making any sense." 

"How can we be so happy when Trini ...? It doesn’t seem right." 

Tommy finally understood, and relief flooded him. He wrapped Kim in a fierce hug. 

"Oh, Kim ..." he began, searching for the right words. "Remember what the monk said? Death is just another part of life, and we can’t let our grief chain Trini’s spirit to this world when another life awaits her. 

"Tell me something. What do you think Trini would say if she came down the path right now and saw us?" 

"She’d say it’s about time," Kimberly chuckled wryly; she lowered her eyes bashfully. "She’d been after me ever since I moved back to patch things up with you." 

"Then how can we not get back together and be happy – even today – if that’s what Trini wanted?" 

"I suppose ..." she murmured grudgingly, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. 

"I’m right, and you know it," he exulted as he threaded his arms around her and held her tight. 

He’d never let her go ever again.

**~o0o~**

"And Mom always said that was the _only_ time you were right," Trini laughed.

"Oh, I can think of a few more occasions," Tommy mused with a twinkle in his eyes. "They just weren’t the sort of things you tell your children." 

"Oh? Like what?" Kat asked eagerly, mischief dancing in her blue eyes. 

"Like ... A row boat in the middle of Angel Lake in broad daylight is a perfectly good place to—" 

"I _don’t_ want to know," Trini yelped, suddenly in agreement with her father. There _were_ some things a parent just didn’t tell their kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP, Thuy Trang (Trini): December 14, 1973 - September 3, 2001
> 
> (In describing Trini's funeral, we drew heavily on actual events from Thuy Trang's family ceremony, especially screen caps which could be found at El Fuñaroverse, now sadly defunct.)


	9. 9/11

"Why do you have these pictures here?" Jasmine asked as she pointed out a pair of images in the book. They were the only two items on the entire two-page spread. One was a postcard of the Manhattan skyline, the World Trade Center looming over all. On the opposing page was a newspaper clipping of the same skyline with billows of smoke where the towers used to be. 

"Kim never wanted to forget that awful day," Tommy answered quietly, a lump forming in his throat. 

"September 11, 2001," Kat echoed, just as choked up as her soon-to-be husband. "What a nightmare." 

All the kids had learned about the terrorist attacks in their history books, but it had never really sunk in that their parents had lived through it. 

"Mom and Dad were living in New York then," Jasmine murmured. "They don’t like to talk about it. For the longest time, Mom had nightmares about it." 

"Thankfully, they weren’t in the heart of the destruction," Kat said. "They didn’t talk about it much to us, either. We can only imagine what sort of Hell it was to be there that day." 

"But we endured our own Hell back here," Tommy added, recalling that terrible September day.

**~o0o~**

The phone rang, rousing Tommy from a fitful sleep. Once again, he had fallen asleep on Kimberly’s couch. He’d been spending most of his time with her since he’d come home for Trini’s funeral – and not only because his time was short and they had a great deal to work out. Kim just didn’t want to be alone; she was still hurting from Trini’s death.

The phone sounded again, and blearily, Tommy answered it. _What God-awful hour of the morning is it?_ "Hullo?" 

_"Tommy, turn on the TV – now."_

"Mom?" 

He’d let his mom know where he was likely to be over night, just as a force of habit. Fortunately, she hadn’t given him any grief about it. After all, his and Kim’s relationship was too new for there to be any ‘funny business’ yet. Even so, both of them were old enough that it was none of his parents’ business anyway! 

_"It’s important, Tommy. Something terrible’s happened ..."_

Hearing the tears in his mother’s voice was more sobering than a pot of strong coffee. His mom was not one given to tears. He grabbed the remote and switched on a local station since she hadn’t specified a channel. 

_"... an airplane has crashed into the World Trade Center ..."_

"Oh God," he gasped as he saw the flames and smoke billowing out of the tall tower. 

_"Your father called to tell me ..."_

His father had flown out to the east coast over the weekend for a business meeting. Tommy felt a cold lump of fear settle in his stomach. "Dad’s not in New York, is he?" 

_"No, thank God. He’s in Boston."_

Tommy never remembered hanging up the phone. Numb, in shock, he sat there in the darkened apartment staring at the horrific images filling the TV screen. 

"T-Tommy, was that the phone?" Kimberly asked sleepily as she padded into her living room. "Who was it?" 

"Kim ..." he began as he turned to face her. He didn’t know where to begin or how to tell her. 

"Is that the World Trade Center? It’s on fire!" she gasped, stumbling forward to join him on the couch. 

Just then, live in the background of the reporter on screen, a second plane slammed into the other tower. 

_"... not an accident ... terrorists ..."_

The newscasters were saying things, but the words barely registered. 

"Oh God, Tommy," Kim sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched his hand. "Those are people jumping from the windows ..." 

Tommy squeezed her hand, unable to speak, unable to believe what he was seeing. Almost unconsciously, he reached for the phone and dialed. 

"Jase, have you ... yeah, Mom said Dad called her ... no, he’s fine ... You’re right. I think we’d better get to Rocky’s." 

"Rocky’s?" Kim queried, half paying attention to the one-sided conversation and half listening to the television. 

"Adam and Tanya live in New York City."

**~o0o~**

"Have you heard anything yet?" Tommy asked as Rocky greeted him and Kim at the door. His friend’s face was ashen and his brown eyes were filled with emotions too numerous to count.

Tommy’s question needed no explanation. 

"No," Rocky choked out. "I called both the Sloanes and the Parks. They haven’t heard anything either. Mrs. Park promised to call me as soon as she knew anything." 

Jason arrived shortly after Tommy and Kim. He noted the trio on the sofa and joked mirthlessly, "I see we all got the same memo on today’s dress code." 

None of them had bothered getting dressed; they’d just thrown jackets on over their pajamas before rushing over to Rocky’s apartment. Jason pulled up a box – Rocky was in the process of moving to a larger place – and the four watched and waited, hoped and prayed.

**~o0o~**

Kat had joined the quartet, directed their way by Jason’s mother. Since Helen had told her Jason had left pajama-clad and unfed, she’d stopped by the bakery for some croissants. Not, she imagined, that any of them felt much like eating. She, too, had called the Sloanes upon learning of the tragedy. Jason greeted her at the door and wrapped her in a fierce, much-needed hug. Then, he ushered her inside.

**~o0o~**

By the time the South Tower fell, Billy, Zack and Aisha had joined the group. 

"All those poor people trapped ..." Kat sniffled, doing nothing to stay the flow of tears. 

On screen, they watched as a monstrous cloud of smoke and débris engulfed the streets of Manhattan, turning day into night. 

"Thank God Dad’s in Boston," Tommy murmured. 

"Was he due to come home today? If so, he could have been on one of those planes," Jason realized, feeling a chill of dread. 

"No, he’s not due back until Friday." 

"Adam and Tanya wouldn’t have been near ground zero, would they?" Billy asked, unconsciously using the media’s jargon for referring to the scene of the attack. 

"They don’t live in the area, and I’m not sure where the recording studio is, but there could have been any number of reasons why they could have been in the vicinity," Aisha replied; she had spent some time in New York visiting Tanya upon her return from Africa over the summer. They had gone sightseeing. Tanya had taken her to the World Trade Center. She’d just been there; now it was gone! 

Rocky hadn’t said much throughout the morning, consumed with worry for his best friend. 

"He has to be okay," he said, more to himself than to the others. "He’s going to be best man at my wedding next month." 

"Man, this just ... just ... sucks!" Zack suddenly burst out, jumping up and pacing. "How can we just sit here and watch this? We’ve got to do something!" 

"But what _can_ we do?" Billy asked reasonably. 

"What about the Power Rangers? They’ve saved the world hundreds of times over, fighting monsters and living machines and space pirates!" 

No one was certain if he was referring to the current teams or the ones they’d been a part of. 

"The Power Rangers were meant to handle threats beyond Earth’s ability to combat," Billy reminded Zack. 

"So we can’t do a blessed thing while kooks ram airplanes into buildings?" Zack practically shook with his fury and frustration. 

"They’re not kooks," Jason said quietly, his eyes briefly straying from the scenes of earlier footage being replayed. "That’s one of the things we learned at the Peace Conference, remember? Whatever else they may be, terrorists are serious people. They believe in their cause, right or wrong, enough to die for it. People who dismiss them as kooks dangerously underestimate them." 

Before the topic could be pursued further, the North Tower fell. 

"I’m so glad Trini didn’t live to see this," Billy murmured, his voice hoarse and his soul still raw from the loss of his beloved friend. "Such a terrible loss of innocent lives would have devastated her." 

"If Trini had lived," Kim spoke up through her tears, "she might have died today." 

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked. 

"She had an interview this week in New York ... she told me the company headquarters was in the World Trade Center."

**~o0o~**

They watched all through the day, skipping classes, closing the dojo. They stayed together, needing the strength of their friendship as they waited for word on their friends.

They watched as day gave way to night in New York and Washington. They watched as recovery efforts began. They heard reports of tragedies ... of triumph as loved ones were located ... of heroism ... of sacrifice. It was a balm to their scarred souls to know that the best of humanity could rise from the ashes wrought by the worst of humankind. 

It was early evening when the call came that they so desperately prayed to receive: 

_"Rocky, it’s Adam. I’m all right ... Tanya and I, we’re both all right."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With our deepest respect and sympathy for the victims and their families, this is our take on how the Rangers might have reacted to the New York tragedy. **CR/DB**


	10. The Wrath Of A Ranger

The silence that had fallen over the family was just short of uncomfortable; it was time to leave the painful memories the WTC tragedy had evoked behind, despite everyone's relief that the Parks had survived unscathed. To that purpose, Kat's youngest determinedly reached over to the album still lying on his mother's lap and turned the page in the hopes of finding something to lift everyone's spirit. There was one picture in particular two pages over that seemed promising. 

"Who are these guys?" Jared wondered, having come upon a group shot of nine young men, all roughly the same age, all athletic – and all wearing at least some article of red clothing. "There's Dad, and Uncle Tommy … I think I recognize these three from somewhere, but have no idea how … are those two military, or something? That looks like uniforms they're wearing." 

Oliver looked over his brother's shoulder. "Yeah, they do look kind of familiar … but I can't place them, either. Mom?" 

Kat didn't need to be shown the picture, snapped by Aurico, to know who was in it. She shared a glance with Tommy. It was a time when she and Kim had been more afraid than ever in their lives – when Tommy and Jason had joined with their fellow Red Rangers to save the Earth one last time. 

"They were … colleagues," Tommy said casually. "Your Dad and I knew them from fighting together." He hoped fervently that none of the kids would recognize Andros or Carter Grayson, whose identities were on public record – and the Silver Hills Guardians' leaders hadn't exactly kept a low profile, either. (Luckily, the current operators of both branches of the Red Dragon Dojo had yet to meet Eric and Wes in person.) While he, Kim, Jason and Kat had been aware of their oldest sons' activities as Rangers – it had been among their proudest moments when they, too, had been chosen for that duty, Jay to wear the Red and Oliver the Black, as his second-in-command – as far as they knew, _they_ were unaware of their parents' involvement, unless their mentor had told them. 

"Oh, a tournament?" Jasmine asked, losing interest. While she, too, knew some martial arts, it wasn't high on her list of hobbies. 

"Something like that," Tommy replied, glossing over the subject. He'd noticed the shadow descending over his fiancée's blue eyes, and didn't want to cause her fresh anguish by making her relive the memory. To his eternal gratitude, he succeeded in diverting the family's attention by pointing at the next photograph, showing a bride and groom on the steps of St. Magdalen's. "Goodness, I'd almost forgotten about that! Look, here's a picture of Rocky at your folks' wedding reception, Jazz," he chuckled. 

"I see that," Ramon muttered, ignoring Trini's sudden delighted snicker as she took a good look at the picture. "Uncle Tom … _why_ is Papa wearing that silly fake moustache, a mask and a cape?" 

"He looks like a silent movies actor in that getup," Jared chortled. "No offense, Ramon, but that is _so_ your dad!" 

"I'll say," Trini giggled. She and Rocky mutually adored each other, and got along great. "He looks like Zorro!" 

"That's exactly what it was supposed to be," Tommy grinned. "And as with most of these pictures, there's a story behind that, too." 

"Tell, tell!" clamoured everybody, and he obliged gladly, giving Kat time to regain her composure. 

While Tommy told the story about the bet Rocky had made with Zack about wearing a Zorro costume to his best friend's wedding without getting killed by Tanya that had their offspring in stitches with laughter, Kat let her mind wander back to that day when Kim had appeared unexpectedly at her doorstep, clearly on the verge of tears, and breezed past her.

**~o0o~**

"Good, you're home," she said without pausing. "I need to talk to someone, like, _so_ bad …! I feel like I'll burst, or go crazy or something if I don't!"

"Why, Kim, what's wrong?" the taller blonde asked, alarmed, as she followed her friend inside her apartment and guided her towards a seat. Agitation rolled off Kimberly in waves, and it took her a few seconds to compose herself enough to speak coherently at all. 

"They're gone," Kim sniffled, striving for control. "God, Kat, these idiots have actually gone!" 

Completely baffled, Kat sank down next to her. "Who has gone? Gone where? To do what?" 

"Tommy and the others," the gymnast gulped. "He got a call from Andros, and now they're on their way to the moon!" 

It took Katherine a moment to connect the name with a face and an identity. 

"Andros? The Red Space Ranger? The one who killed Zordon?" 

"And saved the Earth from Astronema, yes." 

"Right. But – I don't understand. What are they doing on the moon, of all places? And who is 'they'?" A terrible suspicion began to gnaw at Kat. Jason was supposed to have arrived fifteen minutes ago; sure, he had promised to pick up groceries on his way home so she hadn't given it much thought – the checkout lines could have been longer than usual – but what if … 

Kimberly made a brave attempt to tell everything in order. "Tommy didn't have much time to explain everything, just the essentials, but it seems some leftover types from the Machine Empire have discovered Serpentera buried on the moon and now want to use it to destroy Earth – again. Revenge for destroying King Mondo, or something. It's too much for the current Ranger team to handle or whatever, so Tommy and Andros have gathered all the current and former Red Rangers they could get hold of and sailed off into space to fight them if they can." 

" _All_ the Red Rangers? You mean … Jason has gone with him?" 

Kimberly gasped as Kat's sudden pallor and incredulous question registered. "Oh no – he didn't tell you?!?" 

"He most certainly didn't," Kat said from between clenched teeth, feeling herself suddenly go weak at the knees. 

"How could you not know?" Kim wondered. "You're as good as living together already …" 

"His car was still parked out in front of the dojo when I passed it on my way home. How was I supposed to notice he's gone off into space instead of just to the supermarket?" 

That stumped Kim momentarily. She knew Tommy hadn't picked Jason up – in fact, her fiancé hadn't been entirely sure his best friend would show up at all. Then, an idea occurred to her. "Doesn't Jase sometimes use his old motorcycle to drive in the city? Maybe he took that." 

"Whatever," Kat muttered, getting angry now that the first shock was wearing off. "I'm going to kill him when he comes back! How _dare_ he go off like that, without telling me, or better, taking me along? I was a Ranger as much as he!" 

"Kat, I don't think we could help, however much we want to," Kimberly sighed. "I said as much to Tommy, but he nixed that idea right away. From what he managed to tell me in the two-minute call he gave me, this particular task is color-coded to the Red Power, somehow. Don't ask me why, I don't know anything more, either," she forestalled the next question. "If it wasn't, the new team from Turtle Cove, or maybe the Lightspeed guys out of Mariner Bay, could've handled it. No, for once it has to be just the Red Rangers." 

All of them habitually kept track of the active Ranger teams as best they could. 

More coherent thought processes had kicked in with Kat by now. Calling on her own experiences as a Ranger, she tried to think things through logically. 

"But how _can_ they do anything? From what I read in the Power Chamber's archives, Serpentera was the most powerful Zord ever built; even with an Ultrazord at your disposal, the best you could do was drain its energies. And the guys don't even have Zords anymore – how in the world do they hope to defeat it?" 

Kimberly finally unwound enough to lean back against the couch with a sigh that was a curious mixture of exhaustion and exasperation. She rubbed her hands over her face. 

"Beats me. I think Andros brought a spaceship or something so they can get to the moon at least, but other than that …" She shrugged, feeling as impotent as her friend. And as furious. 

"I never was the tactician on the team, but I've picked up enough to know that if what you say is true, they've gone on a – a virtual suicide mission!" Kat said, her voice shaky. 

"I know," Kim whispered miserably, tears threatening again. "Trust me, I know!" 

Another idea popped up. "And what about their Powers, anyway? I thought they were destroyed?" 

"Apparently not. Tommy's using the Zeo Powers, TJ is Red Turbo again, and Jase obviously has dug up his old morpher, or he wouldn't be a Red Ranger. I bet Rocky is spitting mad about that," the petite brunette snickered, momentarily distracted. "I wonder why they both didn't go … but I kinda doubt Rocky's Ninja uniform is strong enough on its own, with only the Ape Spirit to sustain it." 

"Yeah, and the Ninja coins to power the armor _are_ gone,thanks to Goldar," Kat recalled with a shudder. "Maybe they drew straws, or something. Whatever. If Rocky's staying behind … who all has gone with them, anyway?" she wondered next. 

Kimberly started ticking names off her fingers. "Let's see … of the guys we've met, there's Jase, Tommy, TJ and Andros. That alien guy – what was his name again?" 

"Aurico." 

"Right. He'll pick up the Red Galaxy Ranger, whatshisname, Leo Corbett, then there's Carter Grayson of Lightspeed, Wes Collins and Eric Myers of the Silver Hills Guardians … and the newbie. Cole Something-or-other." 

In part, the names were public record; others, the two former Pink Rangers had met personally or at least knew about. It made them marginally more comfortable to know that their men weren't in the company of total strangers. They shared a moment of silence, trying to come to grips with the fact that Tommy and Jason had gone off to fight Evil once again – and done so without them at their sides, where the women felt they belonged. 

After a while, Kat cleared her throat. "You know … I don't know if I'm more scared for them, or plain mad," she confessed. 

Kim nodded. "Uh huh. It's like they are old fire engine horses – as soon as they hear the alarm bell going off, they run. Right into the face of danger." 

"It's the way they are, I suppose," Kat said glumly. "And deep down I wouldn't want Jason to be any different, but …" 

"Yeah, but," Kimberly grumbled, calmer now that she had found a kindred soul to unburden herself to. If Kat couldn't understand what she was feeling right now, nobody could. "I still want to be out there, with the guys!" 

"Me, too," the dancer admitted. "Not only am I mad at Jason for leaving like he did, I feel so left out!" 

"No kidding." 

"So what do we do now?" 

"We wait, I guess. Until we hear from them." 

"Or until Serpentera destroys the Earth." 

_That_ was a thought neither woman wanted to look at too closely. The two shared a long, anguished glance, then Kat heaved herself to her feet with a deep sigh. 

"If we're stuck here waiting, I might as well put on some coffee." 

"Right." Preceding her friend into the kitchen, Kat heard Kim mutter a very unladylike oath under her breath. She grinned fleetingly; her thoughts exactly! Out loud, however, all Kim would say was, "I _hate_ waiting!" 

"You and me both."

**~o0o~**

Hours later, during which Kat and Kim had grown increasingly tense, their minds filled with anxious wonderings and desultory attempts at conversation falling flat within minutes, both women flinched when Kimberly's cell phone shrilled. Even though they had been waiting for a call, it still took them by surprise. Closing her eyes, sending a quick prayer to whichever deity would listen, Kim picked up the small device and unfolded it.

"Hello?" 

_"Kim, it's me."_

"Tommy," she squealed, feeling a huge load lift off her chest. "Are you okay?" 

_"Yeah – and so's everybody else. We did it."_

"Oh, I'm soooo glad," Kim gushed, making frantic signals to Kat, who got the gist of the conversation from Kimberly's goofy grin alone. She, too, heaved a sigh of relief. Jason was safe! 

"What happened? What did you do? You gotta tell me," she babbled. 

_"Later, Beautiful, when I'm home. Right now, all I want is a shower and a tall drink. Can you pick me up at NASADA?"_

"Sure. I'll come right away." It was not entirely satisfactory – her curiosity was nigh on killing her – but Kim supposed she could wait a while longer for the gory details. And Tommy had better have all of them ready! The connection died, and with a happy sigh, she turned to Kat. "Tommy says they did it, and that everybody's okay." 

"Oh, thank God!" Impulsively they hugged, relief making them weak. When they released each other, Kimberly reached for her purse. 

"Tommy's waiting for me to pick him up at the space facility; I gotta go." 

Determination suddenly flared in the blue eyes. "Okay. But I'm coming with you, if you don't mind." It wasn't exactly a request. 

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Knowing Jase, he'll want to come home as fast as possible, too." 

"I don't care. I _have_ to see him, have to know he's unharmed … and _then_ I'm going to kill him!" 

"Uh-oh – poor Jason," Kimberly grinned, starting to feel giddy. Now that the danger was past, she was able to perceive some humor in the situation. She'd never seen Kat spitting mad like this before – and she very definitely wanted to be present when she let Jason have it. If Tommy hadn't called her before the mission … lucky for him, he had. Or he, too, would be facing the wrath of a Pink Ranger.

**~o0o~**

Tommy was waiting just inside the compound's gate when Kim's car pulled up. He was about to reach for the door handle when the driver's door flew open with such vehemence that he had to jump back to avoid being hit. A pink-clad bundle of energy threw herself into his arms.

"Tommy!" 

He couldn't answer; his lips were sealed by a passionate kiss. When Kim finally released him, he actually had to gasp for breath. He smiled broadly. 

"Maybe I should go on Ranger missions more often; I could get used to such a welcome!" 

Kim smacked his shoulder, instantly indignant. "Don't you dare! Letting you go off by yourself this once was bad enough; if there ever is a next time, I'm coming with you, come hell or high water!" 

Before he could reply, some movement caught his eye. Kat had left the car more sedately, and was looking at him now with a strange intensity burning in her eyes. 

"Jason? Is he alright?" she asked hoarsely, her face pale and her posture stiff and tense, despite Kim's earlier assurances. 

Tommy nodded. "He's fine. We all are. Don't worry, Kat." 

She gave him an unreadable look. "Where is he?" 

"Back with the others still, I think," he answered, slightly puzzled and unnerved by her icy reserve. This was not the Kat he'd always known – warm, loving, gentle. In her place stood a woman on a mission … and Tommy wasn't at all sure he wanted to know what that mission was. A bit lamely, he added, "He's come on his bike." 

"See? What did I tell you?" Kim remarked, having a very good idea of what her friend was going through right now. _Uh-oh. Jason had better watch out!_

Without a word, Kat wheeled around and marched off. The guards, being military and knowing when discretion was the better part of valor, didn't even try to challenge her. Tommy looked at Kimberly with a puzzled frown. 

"What's up with Kat? Doesn't she believe me?" 

Kim shook her head in disgust. Really, how dense could one be? "Yes, she does – but your best bud 'forgot' to tell Kat he was going along on your little pleasure jaunt," she said with heavy irony. "Taking a not-so-wild guess, I'd say Kat's royally pissed at Jason – and with good reason, too!" 

Her tall fiancé winced, things finally clicking in his mind. "Ouch." 

She just gave him a look that brought an embarrassed blush to his cheeks. Tommy cleared his throat, looking at Kat's back as she turned the corner of the Megaship's hangar. 

"Uh, maybe I better go after her," he mumbled. "Give moral support, or something." 

"You and me both," Kim agreed, reaching for his hand. Together, they followed Katherine. 

"Jase can probably need our help if Kat is really this upset," Tommy mused, then nearly choked when Kim gave him a saccharine smile. 

"What makes you think I'll help _Jason_?"

**~o0o~**

Andros was just about to take Aurico and Leo aboard the Astro Megaship, when he saw a slender blonde figure approach the group of Red Rangers. The after-battle banter had ceased by now and the usual leave-taking was underway, so the others didn't notice the young woman right away. She ignored everybody else, pushing determinedly ahead to the hangar wall, where Jason was in the process of putting on his helmet, his back to the others.

"Who's that?" Wes Collins asked TJ under his breath. "She's gorgeous!" 

TJ grinned his easy smile. "Kat Hillard – Pink Zeo Ranger, later Pink Turbo. Jason's better half-to-be, I think." 

"Lucky guy," Eric commented dryly. He, too, gave Katherine an appreciative once-over. 

"I'll say," Carter murmured. Her blonde loveliness reminded him of his own Pink Ranger. Cole watched with wide eyes as the woman tapped Jason on his shoulder from behind. 

Startled, Jason looked around. When he recognized Kat, he laughed delightedly and reached for her, still flushed with their success. "Kat! I'm so glad to see y—" 

He never got to finish either his motion or his sentence. For in a reaction that was as automatic as it was surprising to everybody, Kat hauled her hand back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. With a shout of pain, the broad-shouldered first Red Ranger rocked back. 

A few steps away, Leo winced. "Ow. That had to hurt!" 

"You think?" Andros said with vast understatement. He'd seen Ashley in action more than once, and unconsciously rubbed his own cheek. 

Aurico tilted his head and steepled his fingers in an Aquitian gesture of amused contemplation. "I may be mistaken, but it looks to me as if Katherine is emotionally disturbed over something," he murmured. 

TJ snorted. "You can say _that_ again!" 

"Who or what pissed _her_ off?" Eric wondered. "Someone tell me, so I can move to another state the next time." 

"Jason himself," Cole marveled, his gift of perception providing him with details. Kat's emotions were too strong to hide her state of mind from his capabilities. 

"What? Why?" Carter was non-plussed. She _looked_ so sweet, so gentle … just like Dana. 

A new voice supplied the information. "The esteemed Original Red Ranger neglected to tell Kat he was going off with you guys." 

As the men looked around, Kim let go of Tommy's hand and stepped forward, greeting them with a nod. "Kim Hart, Pink Morphin'/Ninja Ranger. Kat's predecessor," she introduced herself. "Let's say she's … not amused about that." 

"Oh boy," Wes gulped, quick on the uptake. "If I had pulled such a stunt with Jen …" 

"You'd be counting your teeth by now, too," Eric muttered, his mind flashing to a certain Yellow Ranger who reputedly packed a mean punch as well. 

"Never cross a lady Ranger," Leo murmured, receiving grudging nods from the others. 

"Or a woman who knows she's right," Carter grinned, suddenly remembering Ms. Fairweather and her quick temper. Now _there_ was a lady who he didn't want mad at him for _any_ reason! 

"Yeah – they've been kicking monsters around so long, and so well, what chance do _we_ have?" TJ asked rhetorically. "None, that's what!" 

"I believe even Delphine would be seriously angered if I had committed such an oversight," Aurico contributed, his smile audible even through his helmet. "How fortunate that I did not." 

"They do have a tendency not only to get mad, but to get even, don't they?" Andros remarked, thinking of both Cassie and Ashley … and Karone. They all could be sweet as honey when it suited them, yes – and madder than angry hornets when riled. 

Tommy cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the situation. "Really, I don't see what the fuss is all about," he ventured. "We're back, safe and sound …" 

To his surprise, Kim whirled on him. "Tommy Oliver, you can thank your lucky stars that for once you _did_ remember to call me! If you hadn't, Black Belt or not, I'd be mopping the floor with you as well!" Her brown eyes blazed fiercely. There was no doubt that she meant every word. And despite her petite stature, at that very moment none of the males present would bet a wooden nickel on Tommy's chances against her. 

Which brought everyone's attention back to Kat and Jason. He'd staggered back from the force of her slap, and had to brace himself against his motorcycle with one hand; the other was cradling his stinging cheek, now bearing a clear imprint of Kat's fingers. He was staring at the love of his life with wide eyes and slightly open mouth as she lit into him but good. 

"How _dare_ you go off like that, Jason Scott? Of all the inconsiderate things … didn't you think I'd find out? Did you plan on mentioning this little jaunt to me at all?" 

"Kat, I—" he started, but she interrupted him angrily. 

"How do you think it would have made me feel if you _hadn't_ succeeded, if I'd lost you without even knowing why or how? Has it ever occurred to you that I might have _wanted_ to know that you were off trying to save the Earth? Even if only to pray for your success and be with you in my thoughts?" 

Jason gulped. To be honest, he hadn't given it much thought, his mind had been on the emergency and on the mission, and what little mental energy he'd had to spare for Kat had been for her safety – he'd fought for her as much as for his planet, after all. 

"I, um, I didn't want you to worry," he said lamely, knowing it wasn't an excuse. 

"Like I didn't now?" she shot back. "If anything _had_ happened to you, you never even gave me the chance to say good-bye, you idiot!" 

Suddenly, her façade crumbled, the fire left her blue eyes and they filled with the tears she'd so valiantly suppressed all afternoon. "I-I nearly went out of my mind with fear, waiting to hear from you," she sniffled, suddenly embarrassed by her emotional outburst. And in front of so many witnesses, too! They must think her completely crazy. The first fat, salty drops began to course down her soft cheek. 

It was too much for Jason. With an inarticulate sound, he caught her in his arms and crushed her against him. 

"Ah, love, I'm sorry," he murmured into her golden hair. "Don't cry; I won't do it again." 

Kat clung to his broad shoulders, her face buried in his neck. "Promise?" 

He pressed a kiss against her temple. "I promise. I'll never leave you again without saying good-bye first." 

Kat looked up at him then. "I'll hold you to that," she whispered fiercely. "See if I don't!" 

In reply, Jason just smiled at her, and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss, totally unmindful of their audience, who were watching the couple's interaction with lively interest – and a few wolf whistles and catcalls when their liplock wouldn't end until they were both out of breath. 

Flushed pink with relief, pleasure and more than a touch of embarrassment at her behaviour, Kat smiled shyly back at Jason. "I'm sorry I hit you," she murmured, eyeing the fading mark on his cheek contritely. 

He grinned ruefully. "I kind of deserved it," he admitted softly. The two exchanged another gentle, sweet kiss, to the raucous sounds of approval of the other Red Rangers. He mock-glared at his brothers-in-arms. 

"Okay, show's over, guys. Cut it out already!" 

His only reply was laughter, but they subsided willingly enough when they saw that Kat was not about to slug anyone else. 

" _Now_ the world is truly safe at last," TJ quipped, stepping forward to greet Kat with a friendly hug. "After seeing the wrath of just one Pink Ranger when her man was in danger … maybe we should have let the ladies do the job for us, guys." 

And Kimberly got the last and hardest laugh when she stood beside Katherine, mock-glowering at the men. "Well … I know one thing for sure," she began, winking at her blonde friend. 

"Oh? What's that, Beautiful?" 

"It wouldn't have taken ten of us, of course."

**~o0o~**

The memory faded, leaving Kat with a sense of melancholy. Jason hadn't been able to keep his promise after all, but it wasn't as if he'd had a choice … and she'd been so proud of him then, and of Tommy – knowing that even though they were 'retired', they hadn't hesitated to go back on duty, to save them all.

She glanced over at Tommy, his grey head bent over the photos. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he looked up and sent her a warm smile which Kat returned gratefully. They both had suffered great loss, but from now on, they would help each other cope with it. As soon-to-be husband and wife. 

With a small smile and a silent prayer of thanks for having been given a second chance at love, Kat rejoined the merry conversation around her, searching for happier memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is our tribute to one of the most fun episodes in PR history and, like the previous chapter, a further attempt to establish a timeline for our story. We hope you enjoyed what -- in our imagination -- might have taken place on Earth during (and after) "Forever Red"! (PR: Wild Force #34, 2002)


	11. Like Fathers, Like Sons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumping forward in time, this tells about how secrets have a habit of eventually being revealed. And how some things just run in the family ...

"Anyone for a refill?" Kat asked as she began collecting coffee cups from the table. 

"Don’t do that, Mom; I’ll ...." Lynne said as she began to get up from her seat. 

"Rest, hon," Tommy advised. "After all, you’re the one with the new baby. Kat and I know our way around your kitchen." 

"Thanks," Lynne sighed gratefully. 

Tommy and Kat took the requests for refills and headed for the kitchen. 

As Kat put a fresh pot of coffee on to brew, she said to Tommy, "Remembering the Red Ranger mission to the moon makes me wonder if the boys ever experienced extraterrestrial travel." 

"It wouldn’t surprise me," Tommy replied as he sliced some more nutroll and filled the dessert plate with more cookies. "I guess you could say that was one of the perks of being a Ranger. We got to see some pretty awesome sights. We didn’t exactly have time for sightseeing on that mission, but I can still remember standing on the moon and seeing the Earth so blue and beautiful filling up the sky ...." 

"Jason often spoke of that, too," Kat recalled fondly. "He was so proud that Oliver was chosen to follow in his footsteps – even if he could never tell him so. I think I was more scared than proud; I worried so every time I heard their communicators go off. They were so young ... only seventeen ...." 

"We were even younger than that when we were first recruited," Tommy reminded her. "I was sixteen when I first became the Green Ranger – the same with Jason and the others. We barely had our driver’s licenses, and we were piloting vehicles more sophisticated than anything NASA ever put up." 

"Do you remember when we first learned for certain the boys were Rangers?" Kat queried. 

"Yeah, it was the summer before Jason died," Tommy said with a wistful smile. "We were all over at the house; I had that barbeque when Caroline and Adrian came for their annual visit. All our parents were there, except for Kim’s father ..."

**~o0o~**

"Well, Bro, I gotta hand it to you; you pulled it off without burning the house down," Jason announced as he sat back, sipping his soda in post-prandial bliss.

"Hey, we haven’t needed a fire extinguisher at my cookouts in years," Tommy pouted. 

"Face it, Handsome, you’re never going to live down the fire of ‘08," Kim teased her husband. 

"It was enough to make me regret giving you the grill," Tommy’s father interjected. 

"Look who’s talking, Thomas," Janice Oliver snorted. 

"Aren’t you on a first-name basis with the entire Angel Grove Fire Department?" Helen Scott added, to the amusement of all. 

"How long will you be in the States?" Doris queried of Kim’s mother. 

"We’ll be flying back at the end of the week," Caroline answered. 

"Hey, do any of you bottomless pits want another burger?" Tommy asked the kids, who were congregated at their own table. 

Lynne and Trini declined. Jay and Oliver were undecided, but Jared accepted wholeheartedly. 

All of a sudden, a familiar chiming filled the air. Four adults snapped to attention, pulses quickening, senses alert. However, it was two teenagers who were the most obviously disturbed by the alarm. Jay and Oliver traded worried looks and all but jumped out of their seats. 

"What _is_ that noise?" Trini demanded with a touch of exasperation. "I always hear it – day and night. Is it some kind of alarm?" 

"Hey, that watch you’re wearing," Lynne realized, grabbing her brother’s wrist. Oliver tried to jerk it away, but his sister held fast. "It looks like the science fair project Rachel showed me." 

Rachel Cranston had inherited all of her father’s intelligence. 

"It’s a kind of pager," Oliver hedged uncomfortably. 

"I don’t see why Rachel gave all you guys those neat watches and didn’t give one to me an’ Lynne," Trini huffed. 

"These are the – uh – experimental models; she’s waiting until she gets ‘em right before she gives you one, Squirt," Jay fibbed smoothly. 

"So, who’s paging you?" Kim asked, doing her best not to let her knowing grin show. 

"Ramon," Oliver piped up. 

"We promised to help him with his car," Jay added. 

"Then you’d better get going," Jason suggested. 

"Bring Ramon by when you’re done," Tommy added. 

"Will do!" With a wave, the boys dashed off. 

"Trying to get rid of the leftovers?" Kim snickered under her breath. Among other things, Ramon had inherited the DeSantos appetite. 

"He’s Rocky’s boy all right," Kat said with a smile. 

"What is it with those two?" Trini wondered. 

"I know what you mean; they’ve sure been acting weird lately," Lynne agreed. 

"Like father, like son," John Scott remarked sagely. 

"Didn’t Rachel’s father give you all some sort of pager when you were the kids’ age?" Janice asked. 

"We’d hear that beep beep beep-beep beep beep and you’d be off like a shot," Caroline added. 

"I see the boys are going through the same phase you did," Helen remarked, eyeing her son meaningfully. 

"Which phase was that?" Robert wondered. 

"The monochromatic clothing phase," Helen elaborated. "Before he went to Geneva, Jason developed a liking for red clothes. After he returned, he had a thing for black." 

"Oh, yes. Katherine just had to have pink," Doris commented. 

"As did Kimberly," Caroline said. 

"Tommy couldn’t seem to make up his mind," Janice offered. "He went from green to white to red." 

The quartet said nothing; they just traded knowing glances and secretive smiles. 

"What was that all about anyway?" Robert asked point blank. 

Each former Ranger shifted uneasily in his or her seat. It had been a long time ... Their mentor was gone, but old habits died hard. 

"You mean you never figured it out?" Thomas spoke up. 

"And you did?" Jan challenged him. 

"I thought it was pretty obvious," Tommy’s dad went on. 

Four pairs of eyes widened with anxiety. Was their secret about to be revealed? 

"Think about it. They all started being color-specific about the time the Power Rangers showed up, right?" 

"If I remember correctly, yes," Helen confirmed. 

"You know how kids look up to movie stars, rock singers and famous athletes – always putting up posters, buying merchandise, wearing t-shirts and the like. The kids were just trying to find a way to emulate their favorite Power Rangers," Thomas concluded. 

The retired Rangers heaved silent sighs of relief. 

"Makes sense," John agreed, "but why be so secretive about it?" 

"I think being secretive is just a part of being a teenager," Robert said. 

The elder generation moved on to another topic without any input from their offspring, satisfied with the conclusions they had drawn. But their once-secretive teenagers continued to converse in low tones. 

"That was close," Kat murmured. 

"The kids may be acting and dressing like we used to, but can we be sure they’re the new generation of Rangers?" Tommy put forth. 

"Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever heard their communicators go off," Jason said. 

" _I’m_ sure," Kim asserted. The others looked to her, surprised by her certainty. "Let’s just say that something very interesting fell out of Jay’s backpack the other day – a very _familiar_ something." 

"Oh?" Tommy prompted, but his wife didn’t respond. She cast an expectant glance back towards the house. 

"So what color do you think the boys are?" Jason asked. 

"Oliver is black," Kat said with certainty. "I’ve seen an unusual amount of black in his laundry basket of late." 

"Jay must be red; the other day, he asked to borrow one of my old red shirts," Tommy remarked. 

"I wonder who the other three are," Kat mused. 

"Which of the other Rangers' kids are about the boys’ ages?" Kim queried. 

"Surely not Billy’s girl; she’s too young. Rachel’s what – thirteen?" Jason discounted. 

"Justin was eleven, going on twelve when he first received the blue Turbo Powers," Kat reminded him. 

"Plus, she’s been favoring blue a lot lately," Kim added. "I bet Ashala is the Pink Ranger." 

Ashala Taylor was Zack and Aisha’s eldest child. 

"My money’s on Ramon for the Yellow Ranger," Tommy concluded. Rocky’s son was the obvious choice since the Parks were still living on the east coast. Although, Jasmine would have been a good Ranger, too. The same could be said for Sloan, Jasmine’s elder brother by two years. Ramon’s older sisters – Sophia, Carmen and the twins Marissa and Melissa – could have also been selected, but the girls were away at school now. 

"Haven’t the Yellow Rangers always been female?" Kat asked. 

"So far, but Pink’s the only uniform that’s _always_ had a skirt," Jason essayed. "Neither Trini’s nor Aisha’s uniforms had it, so yellow could have gone to a guy as well." 

Kim was about to offer a comment when she heard the front door slam. She rose from her seat. 

"That’ll be Jay," she said knowingly. 

"Did he forget something?" Tommy wondered. 

"Let’s just say that this’ll teach him not to leave his things lying around the house." With that, she headed in through the kitchen door. 

She was halfway up the stairs when she heard the frantic cry of "MOM!" 

Kim kept her pace sedate as she headed for her son’s room. She paused briefly at her and Tommy’s room to retrieve the missing item. Once at Jay’s room, she stood in the doorway, watching him fling his belongings helter-skelter as he desperately searched. 

"You _will_ clean this up when you’re done at Ramon’s," she said sternly, announcing her presence. 

"Mom!" Jay yelped breathlessly, startled. 

"Yes ..." 

"Have you seen ... well, it’s kind of like a belt buckle ... with a gold coin in the center ..." 

Kim did her best to hide her smile as her son fumbled over his description; Jay was doing his best to make his missing morpher seem like an innocent, everyday ordinary object. 

"If you’d put your backpack away – like I’ve told you a hundred times – and not just toss it in the first convenient corner you find, you wouldn’t lose things," she scolded as she threw him the ‘belt buckle’. 

A look of profound gratitude filled his face as he caught the all-important device. 

"Thanks, Mom," he sighed with relief. As he bolted from the room, he paused to give her a peck on the cheek. 

"You know, your backpack isn’t the safest place to leave anything important, especially if you leave it unattended," she cautioned her child. Kim gave him a smile full of irony. "Trust me on this one." 

"Mom?" Jay queried, pulling up short and glancing back at her, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He wondered what she knew. 

Kim met his skepticism with her most guileless expression. "You’d better get going; Oliver and Ramon are waiting." 

"Right. I promise I’ll clean this up later," Jay assured her as he raced off. 

Kimberly waited until he was down the stairs and out the door before offering up this prayer: 

"Please, Lord, keep my boy safe while he saves the world."

**~o0o~**

"I said that same prayer far too many times for my comfort," Kat murmured.

"Didn’t we all," Tommy concurred. He found himself suddenly grateful that his folks had never known about his being a Ranger. He was glad they never worried about him the way he had about Jay. 

"Do you think Scott will someday be called to be a Power Ranger?" the former Pink Ranger queried. 

Tommy laughed. "Probably. Like father, like son." 

"You mean, you guys knew all along I was a Power Ranger?" 

Tommy and Kat turned to find Jay standing in the doorway, a look of complete astonishment on his face. 

"Yes," Tommy answered. 

"Just as Jason and I knew about Oliver," Kat added. 

"... and Ramon and Rachel and Ashala," Tommy continued, ticking down the list of their friends. 

"But how? What gave us away?" Jay asked, concerned and puzzled. After all, he and his friends had given their word ... "We tried to be so careful." 

"You were, but it was pretty obvious if you knew what to look for," Kat replied. "Just little things: your clothes, the communicator, inexplicable comings and goings ..." 

"But nobody else figured it out," Jay protested. While unsettled by the fact his secret was out, he was relieved to have the burden of secrecy lifted from his shoulders after so many years. 

"Nobody else kicked monster tail when they were your age," Tommy said. 

For long moments, Jay was silent, struggling to assimilate his father’s bombshell. 

"You mean, you guys were ... no way!" 

"Didn’t your mentor tell you the history of Earth’s Power Rangers?" Kat asked patiently. 

"Zarrah did, but she never mentioned their civilian identities," Jay confessed. Stunned, he regarded his father. "You and Aunt Kat really were Power Rangers?" 

"As were your mother and Uncle Jason," Tommy confirmed. 

"Mom?!?" That revelation was a little harder to digest. Granted, his mother was always tougher than she looked, but tiny, petite Kimberly Oliver ...? 

"She could kick putty butt with the best of us," Tommy said fondly. 

"Your mother was the reason I became a Ranger," Kat said. 

"Oh wow!" 

"Didn’t you ever wonder why we never questioned you and just accepted your lame excuses at face value?" Tommy asked. "It wasn’t because we were dense; it was because we knew how difficult it was to keep a secret that big and still be straight with your parents." 

"Tommy, do you think we should finally tell the others?" Kat wondered. "They have a right to know, especially Lynne and Trini." 

"We probably should so they’re ready when the next generation is called up."


	12. Rocky Moments

"Here, Jay, why don’t you take these out; we’ll bring the coffee when it’s ready," Tommy suggested, handing his son the once-again laden plate. 

"Are you guys going to tell the others tonight about you being Power Rangers?" his son wondered. 

"Maybe not tonight, but real soon. Tonight’s not the night for that," Tommy said. "It’s the sort of thing that could really take over the evening." 

"But I can tell Lynne later?" Jay asked hopefully. 

"Yes ..." and he shooed his eldest child off with a laugh. Shaking his head, he added, "You’d think he was 17 again, not 37." 

Kat merely smiled. She saw that the coffee was finished, so she removed the pot from the coffee maker and refilled the carafe. 

"Ready?" Tommy asked her. 

"There’s just one thing about the whole Red Ranger mission that I never understood," she said. 

"What’s that?" 

"Why wasn’t Rocky with you guys? After all, he was a Red Ranger, too." 

"You mean, we never told you the story?" Tommy asked, incredulous. 

Kat gave him a look that seemed to say, Duh! 

"How could we have forgotten; it was classic Rocky," Tommy snickered. "He was supposed to go with us but never made it. Afterwards, when he told me and Jase about what happened, we figured Someone Up There just didn’t want him going on that mission after all ...."

**~o0o~**

The phone rang, and Rocky answered it on the first ring. Even though Sarah had their three-month-old daughter in the bath, catching the phone so it wouldn’t wake the baby had become second nature.

"Hello," he said, his smile evident in his voice. These days, it was hard _not_ to smile. The dojo was doing well. He had a wonderful wife and a beautiful daughter. Life was smiling on him. 

_"Rocky, it’s time."_

Tommy’s words acted like a slap in the face, and Rocky’s breezy mood swiftly evaporated, to be replaced with something he hadn’t felt in years: battle readiness. It was a shot of adrenaline unlike any other he had ever experienced. It provided a focus and clarity of mind unmatched by even meditation. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in years, and God help him, he missed it more than he wanted to admit, even to himself. 

At the time of his back injury, he had thought he was ready to retire, but he hadn’t wanted to go out like that. It had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Then there was his replacement ... nothing against Justin (he’d been a capable Blue Ranger), but it had rankled giving up his powers – what had been his honor and responsibility since Jason had passed the torch to him – to a mere kid. 

But that was behind him now. He was needed once again – as the Red Ranger. 

"Where and when?" he asked Tommy. 

He could pinpoint it almost to the exact minute when Tommy had first showed up at the dojo to tell him and Jason about Andros’ mission and his fears that Machine Empire rejects were trying to resurrect Serpentera. His blood ran cold at the thought, remembering what it was like to face the most fearsome Zord ever built. Tommy told them every former Red Ranger was going to be needed to confront this evil. He was putting them on stand-by because word was going to come at a moment’s notice. 

Every former Red Ranger .... 

Although Rocky had been Zeo Ranger III-Blue, he’d never felt quite comfortable in that position. In his heart, he’d always be a Red Ranger ... however, those power coins had been destroyed long ago. He knew he could still call on his Ninja powers – as Kim had demonstrated when Lord Zedd had stolen her coin, but what he really needed was the battle armor, not his Ninja fighting togs. 

Jason had given voice to their mutual concern, but Tommy assured them that Andros had found a way to reactivate their old morphers. Neither he nor Jason knew the Space Ranger very well, but if Tommy trusted him .... Apparently, it was sufficient assurance for Jason, and if it was good enough for the first Red Ranger, it was good enough for him. 

Even now, a frisson of excitement shuddered down his spine as he touched his power morpher, complete with Ninja Power Coin, as he removed it from its hiding place. Touching it again had been like being reunited with a long-lost friend. It had so inspired him, he had dug up every red shirt he still owned to help him get into the right frame of mind. 

_"At the NASADA main hangar in an hour,"_ Tommy informed him. 

"I’ll be there," Rocky promised solemnly. He no sooner broke the connection than he hit the speed dial for his brother. Miguel would cover for him at the dojo. 

At first, he’d been concerned about leaving his now-thriving business, but Tommy taking a leave of absence from the racing circuit and missing crucial races at Talladega and Lowes had impressed upon him the importance of the mission. 

Rocky grabbed his keys and bounded down the hall in search of Sarah. He at least owed her some sort of excuse. In his haste, he’d completely forgotten she was bathing Sophia, and he was forced to double back after futilely searching the rest of the house for her. 

"Hon, I gotta run ... an emergency ...." he fumbled. Once upon a time, the glib lies and half-truths tripped off his tongue easily. But that had been with his mother. He’d justified it all by telling himself that mothers expected the occasional falsehoods from their teenagers; however, wives did not expect their husbands to lie to them. 

He still couldn’t believe his good fortune in meeting up with Sarah Diaz after all these years. In high school, the pretty, intelligent, athletic young woman had dated Adam a few times, but it hadn’t been serious. After high school, like him, Sarah stayed in Angel Grove, taking classes part-time and helping out her family. He had met up with her again when she brought her youngest brother to the dojo to start classes. 

He couldn’t suppress a smile as he studied his lovely wife. He doubted she felt very lovely at the moment, though. Her thick, shoulder-length dark brown hair was all askew as if it hadn’t seen the brush yet this morning. Her expression was one of exasperation, and she looked like she’d been given a bath, too. However, her deep brown eyes still glowed with love and happiness as she regarded their little Sophia. 

"Can you do one thing real quick before you go?" Sarah asked pleadingly, looking decidedly harried. "This is Sophia’s last diaper ...." 

Rocky did some mental math. A trip to the store should only take fifteen minutes, tops. He’d have plenty of time to spare. 

"I’ll be right back," he promised and dashed off. 

Things didn’t quite work out as planned. When he left the store, he discovered his car battery was dead. An elderly gentleman offered him a jump start, but it was as if the guy could only move in super slo-mo. 

He was practically dancing as if he had ants in his pants by the time his good Samaritan was finished helping him. Scarcely had he slid behind the wheel than he was peeling out of the parking lot with all due haste .... only to be stopped for speeding a few blocks later. 

By the time he returned home, he was not a happy camper. At least the officer had taken pity on the 'jittery new father' and had let him go with a warning. _Thank you, spotless driving record!_

He sped through the front door, tossed the diapers on the couch, then hustled towards the kitchen where he heard Sarah talking. 

"Honey, I need to go ...." 

"Rocky, please! It’s Mama about Abuela Maria – she’s not good," Sarah said quickly and quietly, gesturing towards the high chair where Sophia sat fussing for her breakfast. 

He _had_ to go, but he couldn’t ignore his hungry baby. Glancing at his watch, he sighed. 

"Daddy has no time to play airplane," he muttered as he did his best to quickly shovel the food in. Sophia, however, was not cooperating. It was still a little early for her to be having solids, but Sarah wasn’t producing enough milk, and the pediatrician recommended starting her on rice cereal and a little fruit. 

By the end of his ‘battle of the breakfast’, Sophia was wearing more than she had eaten, and he was wearing the rest. 

"If I show up wearing your breakfast, the guys will never let me live it down," he murmured. He’d change shirts real fast, then hand the baby off to Sarah and still make it to NASADA without getting a speeding ticket. 

One fresh shirt later, he picked up the bedroom extension to see if Sarah was still on the phone. She was. With a long-suffering sigh, he scooped up his little girl. 

"How long could it take to get you changed?" he asked rhetorically as he headed for the nursery. 

How long could it take? Longer than he’d anticipated. He quickly came to the conclusion that he wasn’t dressing his infant daughter but fighting a mutant octopus with Sophia’s angelic face! No sooner than he’d get one arm in a sleeve and start to work on the other, then the first one would pop out. The same thing happened with her legs. And all the while, she was laughing ... the sweetest, bubbly baby laughter imaginable. 

"You think Daddy’s playing, don’t you," he grumbled through gritted teeth. 

In the end, he finally triumphed and zipped up her sleeper with a flourish. 

"Ah ha!" he crowed. 

She smiled sweetly, burbled wetly, then made the rudest noise of all, accompanied by the foulest stench of all. 

"You didn’t ...." he groaned, even though it was evident she had and wasn’t any happier about it than he. And she let him know – quite vociferously – her displeasure at being wet and stinky. 

"Maybe we could just drop your diapers on the moon. That’d take care of those erector set rejects. Phew!" 

Still, he couldn’t leave her in that nasty diaper. Luckily, he remembered he’d left the new package of diapers in the living room before he took the old one off. En route to retrieving them, he noted that Sarah was off the phone and was disappearing into the bathroom. 

_Good! I might get out of here sometime this morning!_

He returned to the changing table with Sophia and peeled her out of the soiled pajamas – the diaper had leaked. As he started to put the fresh pants on, he discovered it was much too big. He’d bought the wrong size. 

He swore under his breath, then prayed Sarah hadn’t heard him swearing around the baby. She’d developed hearing like his mother! 

_Please ... please let there be a spare in the diaper bag!_ He implored the Powers-That-Be, and was suitably grateful when they smiled on him. 

_If anything else goes wrong, I’m gonna pull a Tommy and be late!_

Thankfully, Sophia was more cooperative the second time around, and Rocky got her dressed in record time. 

"Upsy daisy, Sweetie," he cooed, tossing his little bundle of joy up into the air playfully. 

In retrospect, that hadn’t been very wise. What hadn’t come out in his child’s diaper, now came out the other end – all over him. 

"I bet you’re pretty pleased with yourself," he muttered vexedly as he stomped back to his bedroom, a happily squealing baby tucked under his arm like a football. 

Yet another red shirt later .... 

Rocky hustled out of the bedroom just as his wife emerged from the bathroom. He thrust their precious bundle at her and all but growled, "I hope you kept the receipt; she leaks." 

Sarah was too astonished to respond to that comment. Instead, she said, "While you’re still here, would you please take out the trash." 

"Look, hon, I’ll do it later. I’m really, _really_ late ...." he called over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen door. 

"Ricardo Esteban DeSantos, you are _not_ going off to save the world until you take out the trash," Sarah insisted in her best imitation of Mama DeSantos ... right down to the flashing eyes filled with maternal ire. 

Rocky pulled up short and stammered, "What did you say?" 

Had he been less stunned, he might have dismissed her words instead of confirming her suspicions. 

"I’ve known for a while, and suspected for even longer," Sarah admitted, her tone tinged with sadness. Rocky could almost hear the ‘ _I’d always hoped you trusted me enough to tell me’_ , and fidgeted uncomfortably. It was the one thing hadn’t been able to share with his wife. 

"Remember back in high school when I went on a couple of dates with Adam?" she began. "One time while he and I were out, his ‘pager’ went off. He said it was an emergency and brought me home early. I was at my door about to go in, when I turned to tell Adam I’d see him in school the next morning. His back was to me, and it looked like he was glancing at his watch. Then, I saw him vanish in streaks of black light." 

_Uh oh, Adam was busted and never even knew it!_

"After that, I started noticing things about the six of you: your color-specific clothes, the pagers with that weird chime and the strange disappearances, even in the middle of school. The clincher was seeing the Power Rangers vanishing from the park just as Adam had from in front of my house." 

"You mean you’ve known that long and never said a word to us?" Rocky murmured, astonished, recalling what Bulk and Skull would have given to have that knowledge. 

"I knew it was a secret, and what good would it have done to tell you? It would have been another worry for you guys. I had enough worries just knowing your secret; knowing that your secret had been discovered would have just given you one more thing to be concerned about, and you already had plenty." 

"You had worries ...?" 

She nodded. "Before discovering, I’d never really thought about the Rangers being mortal ... about them getting hurt or killed. They were nameless, faceless superheroes. 

"But knowing there were ordinary teens in those suits was different. People I knew could be hurt or killed while trying to save Angel Grove – me. I was scared for you guys every time there was an attack. 

"And I’m still scared, Rocky. You could re-injure your back on this mission. You could die, and I don’t want to lose you. I love you. I need you; our babies need their father ...." 

"Babies?" Rocky gulped, latching onto that single word from all of Sarah’s explanation. 

Sarah smiled shyly and nodded, resting a hand on her tummy. "The doctor said that’s why I’m not producing enough milk for Sophia." 

"Already? But it’s too soon, isn’t it?" 

"Not really. Remember how excited you were when I passed my six-week checkup with flying colors?" she teased him, recalling how they’d celebrated. "I haven’t had an ultrasound yet, so we’re not sure of the due date, but I’m guessing next June. 

"Rocky, I know you have your duty as a Power Ranger, and I can’t ask you to turn your back on it. Just please come home safely; your family needs you." 

Rocky seemed to be frozen with indecision, glancing at his watch to see just how close he was going to cut Tommy’s deadline. He looked back at Sarah, who regarded him with patience and understanding. She wasn’t going to force him to stay. Then he looked to Sophia who was blowing little tiny bubbles with her spit. Her little rosy cheeks got rounder as she smiled up at him with absolute love and trust. 

In that moment, he knew what he had to do, and he reached for the phone. 

"Tommy, I can’t make it," he said when he connected with the mission leader’s cell phone. "You guys go on without me. The Earth has ten other Red Rangers to defend her; my family only has one me."

**~o0o~**

Kat laughed merrily at their friend’s exploits. "Poor Rocky ... what a day!" 

"Back when he first told us about it, Jase and I were practically rolling on the floor because we were laughing so hard," Tommy recalled. "He just glared at us and said, ‘wait ‘til you have kids of your own’. Now, it’s funny in a sympathetic sort of way. The first time I had a day like that with Jay ...." 

"I’m glad Rocky stayed behind," Kat said, sobering. "If anything had happened to him, what would Sarah and the girls have done?" 

"We would have taken care of them ...." 

"Just as you took care of the kids and me after Jason died," Kat concluded for him, catching his hand and giving it a supportive squeeze. 

"And just as you’ve taken care of me since I lost Kim," Tommy murmured and raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "You know, I almost didn’t ask Rocky because he was a family man." 

That and the fact that had anything happened to him, he would have been responsible, having recruited him. He still didn’t like to contemplate the personal Hell it would have been to have to tell Sarah her husband had died. He thanked the Lord that he’d never had to face that. 

"If you hadn’t, you would have hurt his feelings beyond measure," Kat said. 

"I know; that’s why I went through with it. I guess someone heard my prayers that he’d decide to stay home on his own." 

"Come on; let’s get the coffee out there before it gets cold," Kat recommended. 

"I’m surprised Lynne hasn’t come in checking to see if we’d gotten lost," Tommy joked. 

The two returned to the living room to find it strangely silent. Eight pairs of eyes regarded them intently. 

"What?" Tommy wondered. "Did I spill something on my sweater?" 

"Dad, is it true?" Trini asked, unusually sober. 

"Is what true?" 

"Jay says that you and Aunt Kat – and Mom and Uncle Jason – used to be Power Rangers." 

Tommy’s stern gaze fell on his eldest child, who smiled sheepishly and shrugged helplessly. He looked the very image of his father just then. 

"Jay, how could you?" Kat scolded gently. "We asked you to wait ...." 

"You know Jay – can’t keep a secret to save his soul," Trini snorted. 

Oliver elbowed his best bud in the side. "She's got that right! It’s a wonder you never spilled the beans about us ... whoops!" 

"Spilled the beans about what?" Lynne interrogated her brother, regarding him with suspicion. 

"Don’t worry, bro," Jay laughed, elbowing Oliver in return. "Our folks have known all along." 

Oliver's eyes went wide with surprise. 

"Known what all along!" Trini fumed, hating to be left out. The boys conveniently ignored her. 

"You’ll have to tell them sooner or later," Tommy whispered to the boys, giving them a knowing smile. Their wives were liable to give them all kinds of grief for keeping this from them. Thank God it was a secret he’d never had to keep from his wife – or his wife-to-be! 

"It makes sense," Rachel mused thoughtfully, diverting the conversation back to their parents. It was obvious that none of her teammates was ready to open this particular can of worms. "I often wondered about my father. Some of the gadgets I’d seen over the years, and some of the technologies he’s developed ... they were all based on the advanced technology he’d been exposed to as a Power Ranger." 

"Do you mean to say that all our folks – Jasmine's and mine, too – were Rangers?" Ramon gasped. 

"All except for your mother," Kat confirmed. 

"Whoa!" 

"So when you told us about Divatox kidnapping Mom and Uncle Jason, they weren’t just civilians," Trini concluded. That certainly shed a whole new light on their parents’ early lives. 

"I bet you guys could tell some awesome stories," Jay hinted eagerly. 

"We could," Tommy responded, "but not tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever wondered why Rocky wasn't part of 'Forever Red'? Well, here's what two Moms thought might have been the reason ...


	13. What A Drag!

"Wait! Wait ... stop. Oh, there. That one!" Jared chortled, stabbing at a picture with his index finger. "I can't wait to hear the story behind _that_ one." 

"Which one ... oh good Lord!" Kat gulped, blushing beet red to the roots of her hair. "Jason promised me he'd gotten rid of every last one of those." 

"He may have, but Kim didn't," Tommy replied, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Mom, is that really you?" Lynne gasped, torn between astonishment and merriment. 

In the photo, Kat was garbed in what appeared to be a chainmail bikini, brown leather gloves and boots and assorted jewelry. Her hair was dyed a fiery red. In one hand she hefted a sword; in the other she held a leash connected to the metal-studded collar around Jason's neck. As for her husband, he was dressed in a fur loincloth and little else. 

"Red Sonja?" Rachel hazarded a guess as to her identity. 

Kat nodded. "Jason had been curious to see what I looked like as a redhead, so I indulged him for Zack's Halloween party that year." 

"They won first prize," Tommy added. 

"So, what was Dad?" Oliver wondered, and Kat's blush deepened. 

"Her barbarian boy toy," Tommy snickered. 

"But Red Sonja was sworn by her goddess never to give herself to a man unless he bested her in fair combat." Rachel, while more widely read in popular literature than her father, could be just as slow on the uptake as Billy. 

"Nine times out of ten, Dad could best Mom," Jared said reasonably. "I guess this was the tenth time." 

"If you think Jason and I looked adorable, turn the page and see what Tommy and Kim went as that year." 

"Oh no ..." Tommy groaned as Lynne turned the album page. He cringed at the peals of laughter. 

Kimberly was decked out in an elaborate ballet costume, complete with strappy bodice, stiff tutu and toe shoes. Tommy was also dressed in ballet apparel, complete with slippers, tights and what appeared to be a cod piece. The two were posed as if dancing. 

"I can't think of a ballet where the costume required a cod piece," Rachel murmured with a frown. 

"Trini, I never knew your dad could fill out a pair of tights so well," Lynne said in a stage whisper loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Tommy blushed as the others guffawed. 

"Oh, but you haven't seen the best pic of my Dad 'in drag'," Trini snickered and began flipping through the album. 

"Katrina Michelle, don't you dare ..." Tommy scolded, piquing everyone else's curiosity. 

Kat knew exactly which photo her fiancé's youngest was searching for. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, "If you didn't want anyone to see it, you should have pulled it from the book." 

He scowled at her. 

"What I never understood is how Zack could get you guys to do half the weird things you did," Kat continued for the audience in general. "Not even Rocky could cajole you guys into things as well as Zack could." 

"Dad always said Uncle Zack's persuasive abilities were part of his charm," Rachel remarked. 

"By the way, how did Billy escape this particular indignity?" Kat asked. 

Tommy shrugged. "He drew the longest straw." 

"Here it is," Trini declared and opened the book wide. The two-page spread was filled with pictures from what appeared to be some sort of variety show. There were photos of Kat in full ballet regalia, Kim in a leotard, but the crowning glory of the showcase was ... 

"Oh. My. God!" Lynne gasped, choking on barely suppressed laughter. 

Jasmine stammered, "Is that my dad in a blonde wig and baby-doll nightie?" 

"Apparently, Aunt Kat, you weren't the only one who tried it as a redhead," Ramon observed, chuckling as he identified his dad in a blue Spandex dress with a British flag emblazoned on the front. Not to mention the red platform boots. 

"Who were you guys supposed to be?" Jared asked, breathless with laughter as he eyed the picture of his Uncle Zack dressed in a leopard print halter top, flares, and sporting a 'do of kinky curls – and were those cones on his head? 

"We were supposed to be _The Spice Girls_ ," Tommy explained with forced patience and a crimson flush heating his cheeks. "They were a girl band popular during the mid-nineties." 

"They play their stuff on the oldies stations," Jay noted. 

"As to why we were dressed that way ..."

**~o0o~**

"... give me one good reason why we should go along with this cockamamie idea of yours," Jason demanded as he eyed his costume warily: skin-tight leggings, and a white tube top with a mesh mid-riff sleeveless tee to top it. Completing the outfit were sneakers, a shoulder-length brown wig, fake nose piercing and temporary tattoos.

"Because it's too late to back out," Zack said simply. They were due on stage in less than an hour. 

"Don't complain, 'Sporty'," Tommy grumbled. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the slinky little black dress and spiked heels he was going to have to wear. Where _had_ Aisha found high heels in his size? "You've got the most reasonable costume of us all." 

"Yeah, you didn't have Aisha attacking your legs with hair remover either," Adam interjected glumly. This was _not_ what he had in mind when he said he'd help out when he and Tanya came home for Thanksgiving. 

"Tommy doesn't have to wear a wig," Rocky pouted. 

"That's only because I grew my hair out on my own." Even so, Aisha had attacked him with her blow dryer and curling iron to get the style just right. 

"You grew it out because Kim refused to marry you if you didn't," Jason countered with a knowing grin. 

"Well ... that, too," he confirmed with a sheepish grin and glanced at the gold band on his left hand. Had it been six months already? 

"I'll tell you all why we're doing this," Billy spoke up as he put the finishing touches on his green makeup. "Marguerite Langly." 

Marguerite was a little girl from the beginner's class at the Red Dragon Dojo. She needed a kidney transplant and the family needed help with the medical expenses. The Angel Grove Children's Foundation was staging a talent show as a fund raiser. When approached by the committee to take part, the guys had agreed readily. 

"Why couldn't we have done a martial arts demonstration?" Jason grumbled. "Kim's doing gymnastics. Kat's dancing ballet ..." 

"... Tanya's singing," Adam added. Looking at his blonde wig and skimpy ... whatever ‒ he wouldn't have called it a dress! - he was beginning to wish he'd stayed in New York for the holiday. 

"You were all enthusiastic about the routine during the rehearsals," Billy reminded them. 

Which was true. They'd gotten a kick out of learning the old dance steps and learning how to lip-synch the words. As none of them but Zack could carry a tune, karaoke was out. 

"That was before we knew we had to dress in drag," Rocky retorted. "Besides, what do you have to complain about? _You_ don't have to go out there in falsies and a wig." 

With six guys and only five Spice Girls, someone had to be the odd 'girl' out, and Billy had drawn the longest straw. He, however, had not escaped totally unscathed. He had been recruited to be Master of Ceremonies for the event. 

"Perhaps not, but you do not have to appear in public in green make-up and horns and be a demon-cum-Las Vegas lounge lizard," Billy murmured ruefully, glancing down at his outré garb. 

"You're Lorne, the Host guy from _Angel_ ," Rocky said helpfully. "He's cool." 

"Why do you guys think I waited until almost curtain time to tell you about the costumes?" the mastermind behind the Spice 'Girls' said with a wide smile. He was already in costume, sporting Scary Spice's trademark hair 'horns'. 

"Where'd you find all this stuff anyway?" Tommy wondered as he caved to the inevitable and began getting dressed. The others were doing likewise. 

"Aisha and I combed every theater department and costume shop in a sixty-mile radius," Zack explained. 

"I thought Aisha was on the organizational committee and was therefore exempt from sponsoring an act," Billy remarked. Aisha had been the one to persuade him that it would be 'fun' to dress up as a demonic lounge singer. 

"She is, but each committee member picked an act to oversee. 'Isha all but drooled over my idea to have us all in drag." 

"A woman after your own heart," Jason muttered as he tried to figure out how to apply the paste nose stud. 

"Ain't she, though," Zack sighed dramatically, and his reaction had Tommy and Jason speculating. 

At that moment, Aisha popped into their dressing room to check on them, and she nearly died laughing at the sight of five total hunks primping in front of the mirror. Four of the men scowled in annoyance. 

"C'mon, 'Lorne', the show's about to start; I need you on stage," she snickered. "Guys, the three acts preceding yours are, in order, Tanya, Kat and Kim. You can watch them from the wings." 

With that, she grabbed Billy's arm and dragged him off. 

"Please tell me I do not have to sing ..." his friends heard him plead as he was tugged down the corridor. 

"It's for a good cause ... it's for a good cause ..." Jason chanted to himself like a mantra. 

"I'm going to kill myself in these shoes," Tommy muttered as he rolled his ankle and stumbled. 

"'Posh', you're lopsided; fix your boobs," 'Scary' directed. 

"I hope you all remember that I had nothing to do with this," 'Ginger' said in his defense as he applied his lipstick and plumped his cleavage. 

"I have to admit, this tops everything you've gotten us into – to date," 'Baby' remarked. 

"By the way, Rocky, isn't Sarah doing anything tonight?" 'Sporty' wondered. 

"She has her hands full with the girls," Rocky answered. 

"Which means, she won't be able to operate the camera!" Adam said brightly, praying for no photographic reminders of this day of infamy. 

"Sorry, Adam, but my dad is fully loaded with video and Minolta," Tommy said glumly. "He said he wanted to record this for posterity." 

"Your father would," Jason glowered. "Can someone help me with these stupid tattoos?" 

By the time Aisha returned, they were ready. 

"Oh, don't you guys look precious!" she declared with barely-contained laughter. 

"Not one word, Aisha Karan Campbell; not one bloody word," Rocky ground out through clenched teeth, glaring at his childhood friend defiantly. 

"Come on; Tanya's up next," his usual partner in mischief tittered. 

"Let's go; I want to catch Tanya's performance," Adam said eagerly. He rarely missed the chance to see his wife perform. 

"Let's get this over with," Jason mumbled, and the quintet tottered down the hallway on their unfamiliar and unwieldy footwear.

**~o0o~**

From the wings, the guys could see Tanya on stage, garbed in a stunning gold lamé evening gown, reclining on the piano, belting out an old standard: _I've Got A Crush On You._

"It's been so long since I've heard Tanya sing, I'd forgotten how good she was," Tommy remarked as the melody wrapped itself around them. 

"Isn't that Skull at the piano?" Rocky queried. 

Sure enough, their one-time nemesis, decked out in white tie and tails, sat at the keyboard providing Tanya's accompaniment. 

"He goes by Gene these days," Jason responded. He glanced over at Tommy and frowned. "Bro, now you're lopsided the other way." 

"Then you fix 'em," Tommy challenged mutinously. 

"Not used to playing with 'em from this angle, eh?" Jason smirked as he filled his hands with the foam cups and shifted them about until they sat just right. 

"You know, you're awful good at that; plenty of practice, eh?" Tommy shot back, but Jason refused to rise to the bait. However, he couldn't restrain a small grin. 

Rousing applause alerted them to the fact that Tanya's number was over. She took her final bow and moved off stage. Adam met her, caught her about the waist and spun her around. 

"You were wonderful," he cheered proudly as he moved to kiss her. 

"Don't," his wife cautioned him with a wide grin. "You'll smear your lipstick." 

Adam pouted. 

"Rocky, you're all but falling out of your dress," the chanteuse chided. 

"I'm s'posed to," he answered with a haughty sniff. 

"Girl Power and a Wonder Bra, huh?" she teased. 

"Sh!" Jason hushed. "Kat's on." 

All eyes turned toward the stage as the tall blonde floated out to center stage, the picture of ethereal grace. Her piece was from _Swan Lake_. 

"I always wished I could have seen her perform on stage," her fiancé sighed longingly. 

"She was something," Tommy murmured, recalling the one time he'd seen her perform with the touring company, "but she's even better now than she was then." 

Swept up by the beauty of the performance, the backstage observers felt that it ended much too soon. When Kat at last took her bow, it was all the guys could do to keep Jason from walking out on stage to greet her. They restrained him – barely. However, he was still the first to greet and congratulate his lovely ballerina, handing her a long-stemmed rose. 

"How'd he smuggle that up here?" Rocky wondered. 

"Yeah, he doesn't have any cleavage to hide things in," Zack added. 

Kim was on stage next, but where Jason glowed with pride for the love of his life, Tommy looked downright nervous as the stage hands set up the balance beam. 

"Tommy?" Jason queried, noting the pale face under the blusher. 

"I wish she'd have chosen anything but the beam," Tommy said tightly, remembering that a bad fall off the beam was what had the doctors telling her to retire from the sport. 

"She'll be all right, Tommy," Kat assured him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "She's been practicing quite a bit, and she's not doing any of the really dangerous tricks." 

"I can't believe she wanted to do a beam routine, of all things," he muttered as his wife skipped out from the opposing wings. 

"With the height of the stage, nothing else would have worked visually," Aisha spoke up. "This was _her_ request." 

"I think I understand why she chose it," Rocky began thoughtfully. 

"She left gymnastics in a bad way; she has to prove to herself that she's the master of the beam and not the other way around," Kat finished for him. 

"I can see that, but ... why couldn't she have just played her guitar and sung one of the songs she's written?" Tommy continued pigheadedly. "She loves her music as much as she loves gymnastics." 

"She already did that, Tommy," Aisha laughed. "She and I did a duet earlier. Stop being such a worrywart!" 

"He can't help it," Jason said in his best friend's defense. "He worries because he cares so much." 

"Thanks, Jase." 

Just then, Kim's music blared out over the loudspeakers. She had picked a funky, rhythmic James Brown tune to give her performance a little added punch. _Get Up Off That Thing_ soon had everyone clapping. 

She mounted the beam, poised and confident, and she never wavered throughout her nearly flawless routine. Still, Tommy heaved a sigh of relief when she dismounted without mishap. As soon as she bounded backstage, he wrapped her in a fierce hug. 

"Tommy?" she queried, puzzled by his unexpected reception. 

"You had me worried," he murmured. 

"But Tommy, I demonstrate on the beam at the gymnastics center all the time," she said. She still worked part-time at the gym even though she was no longer in college. 

"C'mon, 'Posh', time to get in our spots," Jason teased, smacking Tommy on the arm. 

Kim wriggled out of his arms, took a step back and regarded her husband's outfit critically. 

"No fair," she grumbled. "You look better in that than I would." 

"It's those long legs of his," Aisha consoled her with an impish grin. 

"And now for a blast from the past ..." Billy's voice rang out, "... the Spice Girls?" 

The dubious emphasis on Girls had the audience tittering already. When the curtain rose, riotous laughter filled the auditorium. 

The guys were doing a medley of the group's old hits, opening with their very first. 

_"Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want._  
_So tell me what you want, what you really really want._  
_I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want._  
_Tell me what you want, what you really really want._  
_I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really_  
_really really wanna zigzig ha!"_

Backstage, the girls were practically prostrate with laughter. 

"Oh God ...!" 

"I can't watch ..." 

"They're going to kill themselves in those shoes!" 

"Woo-hoo! Shake what yo' mama gave you!" 

"Where'd they get their choreography?" Kat gasped. 

"Zack studied all the video footage he could find to get authentic stuff," Aisha answered. 

"Doesn't Sporty do back flips during this song in the video?" Kim asked. 

The opening number segued into the ballad _Too Much_ , and if anything it was even funnier than _Wannabe_. 

"They look ridiculous," Tanya chortled as the guys tried their best to look sexy and sultry. 

"Oh, I can't stand it ...." Kim doubled over, giggling madly. 

As Jason took center stage to belt out the verse, "I need a man, not a boy who thinks he can," Kat was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. 

"No wonder they never let us watch them in rehearsals," she said with helpless merriment. 

Their set concluded with _Spice Up Your Life._ By the time the boys reached the chorus, the girls were mimicking their movements. 

_"Slam it to the left_  
_If you're having a good time_  
_Shake it to the right_  
_If you know that you feel fine_  
_Chicas to the front_  
_Uh Uh. Go round._  
_Slam it to the left_  
_If you're having a good time_  
_Shake it to the right_  
_If you know that you feel fine_  
_Chicas to the front_  
_Hi Ci Ya Hold Tight!"_

The guys disappeared backstage as quickly as their high heels could carry them, only to find their friends and significant others awaiting them positioned in their final pose. 

"Laugh all you want, but we'll see who's laughing when they crown the winner tonight," Zack warned them.

**~o0o~**

"So, who won?" Oliver asked once he could speak again. His sides hurt from laughing so hard. More than one family member was wiping his or her eyes.

"The Tiny Tots Tap Troupe," Kat replied, still bubbling over with mirth. 

"Zack always claimed that the whole thing was rigged," Tommy said, his cheeks still flaming. 

"You guys did get honorable mention," Kat consoled him. "You might have won if you'd done your own singing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics quoted within are courtesy of whoever wrote the songs. -- Helping others was always a big part of the original 11 Rangers' lives. Although that sometimes got them into situations they'd rather forget ... 
> 
> (People have accused us of having a sometimes demented imagination. ~~The nerve!~~ Who, us?


	14. About Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a romance, so let's get back to it, shall we?

"Speaking of tiny tots," Ramon chuckled as he saw his twin daughters, age eight, peering through the door. He beckoned them over. "What's up, girls?" 

"Can Mommy help us?" Colleen asked, holding out her brand-new Barbie doll dressed in an elaborate wedding gown. "I can't fix the veil right." Her sister nodded, looking balefully at Ken, whose tuxedo pants were hanging crookedly off the plastic hips. 

"Yeah – and the stupid bow tie won't stay put, either," Caitlyn grumbled. Tomboy that she was, she didn't really like enacting wedding scenarios (she would have preferred a G.I. Joe, or another real 'action' figure), but she'd do it for her twin. 

"Here, let me see," Trini smiled, and deftly took care of the wardrobe problems. 

"Thanks, Mom!" And off they dashed again, hands full of cookies to share with their sibs and cousins. 

The girls' dilemma, coupled with Tommy and Kat's earlier announcement, quite naturally brought the conversation around to weddings in general … and the Scott and Oliver ceremonies in particular. Obligingly, Tommy leafed through Kim's scrapbooks until he found the right place. 

"Here're the photos from Kim's and my wedding," he smiled, remembering that special day as if it had been only yesterday. "Take a look." 

"Oh my God ... _what_ is _that_?" Trini gasped in horrified amazement. It was a picture of Kimberly garbed in the most outlandish wedding dress she’d ever seen. The heavily embroidered, salmon pink bodice folded back like a vest or open collar in the back. The full satin skirt pouffed out, overwhelming the petite bride-to-be within. 

"The hat has just about swallowed Aunt Kim whole!" Jasmine tittered. The bizarre millinery creation flared out over Kim’s head and hung down almost obscuring her face. 

"That was the latest in _haute couture_ from Paris," Tommy explained, rolling his eyes. 

Kat giggled. "Isn’t that the one her mother thought would look _so_ darling on her?" 

"Grandma Caroline picked that out?" Jay murmured in astonishment. He’d always thought his maternal grandmother had the most discriminating taste. 

"Caroline was still heavily into her if-it’s-Parisian-it-has-to-be-good phase; thankfully, she grew out of it," Tommy remarked with relief. "Actually, Caroline offered to pay for the entire wedding if we let her do the planning." 

He shuddered at the potential horror of his mother-in-law’s machinations. 

"Would it have been so bad?" Oliver wondered; he and Jasmine would have loved to have had someone offer to pay for the whole shebang; he thought turning over the planning would have been a small price to pay. 

"Yes, it would have," Tommy said with unequivocal certainty. 

"For starters, she would have found a different groom," Kat snickered. 

"Grandma Caroline didn’t _like_ you?" Trini was aghast. 

"Let’s just say ... she always thought Kim could have done better," he sighed, recalling that Caroline Hart Dumas had never taken a shining to him, even in high school. "I grew on her eventually, though. Although, up to our wedding day, she kept throwing ‘good catches’ in Kim’s direction." 

"And she wasn’t subtle about it, either," Kat said with an amused shake of her head. "Kim really had to love her mother to put up with all of that." 

"Kim fought her mother every step of the way to get the wedding she wanted," Tommy chuckled. "For a while there, it wasn’t clear which woman was going to out-stubborn the other. Finally, we offered a compromise; Caroline could plan the reception – except for the DJ." 

"That was awfully generous of you," Lynne remarked, knowing how she would have felt if her mother had been so domineering as to disregard her wishes when it came to her wedding. 

"It was more like self-preservation," Tommy concluded. "Once Caroline had something to occupy her, we were finally able to get our wedding planned." 

"I wouldn’t complain too much," Kat interjected. "Caroline did do an excellent job with your reception. The Country Club provided an excellent atmosphere and the food was superb." Then, she smiled wickedly. "If it had been left up to you, you guys would have wound up at the Youth Center eating Ernie’s pizza!"

**~o0o~**

The rehearsal had broken up, and everyone was headed back to their cars, except for the bride and groom. Kimberly remained behind gazing at the temporary gazebo that had been erected on ‘their’ spot in the park, trying to picture it bedecked with flowers as it would be tomorrow afternoon. Tommy stood behind her, his arms wrapped about her, waiting for her to speak. His wife-to-be had been, at turns, unusually flustered and unusually quiet throughout the day.

"You know, at first, I didn’t think I wanted the gazebo here," Kim began at last. "I mean, it’s never been here before .... This place has always been so special to us ...." 

"It’s where ‘we’ began," Tommy murmured, his words a warm caress, evoking memories of the day he first asked her out. 

Kim shivered with delight, then continued, "But the park director all but insisted that we use it in case of rain." 

"A wise precaution," Tommy reminded her. Even in late May, Spring showers could whip up at any time, and he recalled how much Kim hated looking like a drowned rat. 

"Now that I see it with the water behind it and the sun shining through ... I like it." 

"Me, too, Beautiful." 

For a moment, the two stood there in thoughtful silence. Kim let her mind wander back to Valentine’s Day two years ago: the most incredible day of her life. It had started at her apartment with the surprise that Tommy wasn’t in Daytona with his uncle like he was supposed to have been. She’d already resigned herself to being alone on both her birthday and Valentine’s Day, even though they’d only been back together as a couple for five months. However, Tommy had stayed behind to help her celebrate both occasions. 

It had been unseasonably warm and sunny for February ... it couldn’t have been a more perfect day if it had been June. Tommy’s celebration was a day in the park: long walks holding hands, playing on the swings, a picnic for two. The day ended at 'their' spot. They sat on the low stone wall and watched the sunset, sometimes kissing, sometimes talking. They snuggled together as the golden orb dropped below the horizon and the sky filled with tints of orange, pink and purple. They sat there, totally content, as the sky turned to black and the stars came twinkling into view.   
_  
"Oh, Tommy, this has been the best birthday I’ve ever had," she sighed happily. "I can’t think of a thing to make this day more perfect."_   
_  
"But I haven’t even given you your present yet," he mock-pouted._   
_  
"You being here with me is present enough," she assured him, although secretly pleased he’d been so thoughtful._   
_  
Out of his pocket, he removed a small black jeweler’s box. She gasped and reached for it with trembling hands. She almost couldn’t open it; Tommy had to help her._   
_  
Inside was a ring, the crown a burnished rose in full bloom with a diamond set in the center. The shanks were sculpted to resemble leafy vines sprinkled with diamond flecks._ __

_"Tommy, it’s beautiful," she exclaimed in a hushed whisper._   
_  
"It belonged to Dad’s great-grandmother; it’s been passed down to the eldest child, finally winding up with me," he explained. He clasped Kim’s hands around the box and continued, "Kimberly, I promised myself that if you ever came back into my life, I would never let you go ever again. Without you in my life, nothing’s been right."_   
_  
He shifted and dropped to one knee. "Kim, I love you ... I have since that day by the lockers. Please help me keep my promise to myself by accepting this ring and consenting to be my wife."_   
_  
Kim’s eyes widened in astonishment at his words. She’d hoped and prayed that she’d hear them someday, but not so soon ...._   
_  
"Will you marry me?" he reiterated softly, removing the ring from its box. He gazed up at her with hopeful, soulful, puppy-dog eyes. Tears welled in her doe-brown orbs, and she had to close them to blink away the moisture gathering therein._   
_  
'Thank you for giving me this second chance,' she offered up in silent prayer, hardly able to contain her happiness._   
_  
Tommy, however, misconstrued her extended silence._   
_  
"Kimberly ...?" he prompted anxiously, and she had to turn her head away to hide her smile. He sounded so much like he had at sixteen after he’d asked her out to the dance and she’d delayed answering._   
_  
When she faced him once more, the smile was still on her lips and her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the light glowing in her heart. She reached out to touch his cheek, then her fingers wandered up to ruffle his hair – except there was nothing to ruffle, and a slight frown tugged at her lips._   
_  
"Of course I’ll marry you," she replied. "It’s all I ever wanted, but there’s one condition."_   
_  
His brow furrowed. "What’s that?"_   
_  
"You grow your hair out before the wedding."_

Kim’s thoughts returned to the here and now, and she turned to face Tommy, reaching up to run her fingers through his once-again sexy locks. 

"There were times when I thought this day would never come," she said, her voice rough with her emotions, a mixture of tears of joy and the more powerful stirrings playing with his hair never failed to awaken. 

Tommy held her tighter. "I know; me, too, but our hearts never stopped believing. And tomorrow, I’ll be the luckiest, happiest man alive." 

Suddenly, Tommy picked her up and spun her around. Kim let out a startled squeak of surprise and happy laughter. However, instead of setting her down, Tommy scooped her into his arms and carried her across the threshold of the gazebo. 

"Tommy, we’re going to be late for dinner," she protested weakly as his mouth descended on hers passionately. 

"Kim, I don’t want to wait for tomorrow. I want us to be married now," he blurted out as he lightly placed her on her feet but held her so he could gaze into her eyes. 

"I don’t understand," she murmured, her pulse beating inexplicably faster as she looked up at the man she loved. The sun was setting, the water sparkling like gold. The reflected illumination lit Tommy’s face like candlelight. His hair was loose, falling about his face, and his dark eyes were warm and all but glowing with the feelings inside him. When she found her voice again, she said, "How can we be married now? There’s no minister ... no witnesses ...." 

"They don’t really matter," Tommy went on. "They’re just legal formalities. What matters is what’s in our hearts. And there is a minister and witnesses ...." He gestured expansively towards the heavens. 

Tears glittered in Kimberly’s eyes, and smiling, she gave Tommy a small nod. He beamed with joy as he clasped both her hands. 

"I, Tommy, take you, Kim, to be my wife ...." he began rather informally. Tomorrow Thomas James Oliver and Kimberly Ann Hart would speak the formal phrases; tonight was for Tommy and Kim who’d loved each other since high school. 

"I, Kim, take you, Tommy, to be my husband ...." 

"To have and to hold from this day forward ...." 

"For better, for worse ...." 

"For richer, for poorer ...." 

"In sickness and in health ...." 

"To love and to cherish ...." 

" ‘Til death do us part." 

They didn’t have the rings, having entrusted them to Jason so Tommy wouldn’t forget them. Instead, Tommy substituted, "With this kiss, I thee wed." 

"With this kiss, I thee wed," Kim echoed. 

Tommy reached up to touch her petal-soft cheek even as he bent forward. As if in slow motion, she raised up on her toes, meeting him, and when their lips met, it was not in the chaste kiss they’d share before their friends and families tomorrow. 

Their passions flared brightly, and Tommy pulled Kim closer, holding her tighter, needing to feel her, so soft and warm and alive, in his arms ... against his body .... The move surprised her, and she gave a startled gasp. Her lips had barely parted when Tommy’s tongue darted in to caress hers. She responded with equal enthusiasm, devouring him as he drank deeply of her. 

Her hands skimmed up his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart, before threading up around his neck. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Tommy’s hands, meanwhile, traveled up and down the length of her back, pausing briefly to cup the swell of her derrière. 

"Mmm ...." Kim purred as Tommy’s mouth left hers and began to deliciously nosh his way down the side of her neck. 

Tommy’s hands returned to her shoulders and without missing a beat, he brushed aside the white linen bolero jacket she wore so his kisses could cover the whole of her lightly bronzed shoulders. 

He was still busy devouring her when he lifted her and sat her on the lip of the gazebo wall, placing her at a more convenient height. 

"Kim," he murmured thickly, still kissing her senseless, his fingers dancing across the swell of her bosom bared over the edge of her pink sheath’s strapless bodice. "Tell me to stop because I don’t think I can otherwise." 

He was referring to the old promise she’d made herself to be a virgin on her wedding day. It was a resolve she’d stuck to, even when she and Tommy sometimes shared her too-small bed. There had been times, though, when it had been difficult not to cross that ultimate boundary … though they had seriously taxed it on more than one occasion. 

Kim didn’t respond with words immediately; her hands returned to Tommy’s chest where she deftly parted the buttons on his shirt, baring the strong planes of his chest. She leaned into him, nuzzling her cheek against the satiny-smooth flesh. 

"I don’t want you to stop," she murmured. She felt Tommy’s start of surprise, and he pulled back to regard her with passion-darkened eyes. 

"Kim?" he queried wonderingly ... hopefully ... 

She wiggled her shoulders and torso so when she lifted her arms to encircle his neck, she lifted free of her bodice. Tommy shuddered with excitement and longing, feeling her softness against him. "After all, didn’t we just exchange our vows? This _is_ our wedding night; isn’t it?" she teased, planting a quick kiss on the tip of his nose.   
Tommy’s grin filled his face. "Should we go back to your apartment?" 

"No. Here’s just perfect – don’t you think?" 

Tommy’s response was to capture her mouth in a spirited kiss as his fingers eased down her zipper.

**~o0o~**

"You missed the rehearsal dinner," Jason chided Tommy as he helped him with his ascot the next morning. Tommy was too distracted to arrange it himself.

"You only said you were going to be late," David, his other groomsman, interjected, shaking his head at his younger brother. 

"By the way, Dave, how long _did_ you stay behind?" Tommy asked. Last night, he’d totally forgotten that he’d asked his brother to hang back and snap a picture of him and Kim standing in the gazebo at sunset. David Trueheart, it turned out, had a great eye with the camera. Tommy had a couple of his shots of the desert in his room at his folk’s house. 

"I got out of there as soon as the mush started," David informed him. "Trust me, though; it’s a shot Kim is going to love." 

Jason noted the look of relief which swept over Tommy’s face, which prompted him to ask with a knowing grin, "Is Kim going to be able to stand in the gazebo without blushing today?" 

Tommy’s expression was all innocence as he replied, "I thought brides were supposed to be blushing." 

His brother by blood and brother by choice both snickered. 

"It wasn’t very nice of you to leave us to make your excuses to your future mother-in-law," David grumbled. 

"I never realized Kim’s mother had such a lurid imagination," Jason chuckled. He had finished placing the pin in the ascot and held out his hand for the boutonnière, which David dutifully handed over. Tommy, however, was too excited to stand still much longer. Jason warned, "If you don’t stop fidgeting, I’m going to skewer you with this straight pin." 

Once the flower was in place on Tommy’s lapel, Jason stepped back to survey his handiwork. 

"Think he’ll do?" he wisecracked to Tommy’s brother. 

Tommy turned to his mirror to have a final look. The dark, Victorian-cut frock coat in charcoal grey fit him to perfection, and there was actually plenty of room in the lighter grey trousers. He fiddled with the unfamiliar neckwear and tugged at the dove-grey waistcoat. He had even endured an early-morning torture session with Kat and Aisha to make sure his once-again longish locks were fixed to Kim’s liking. They’d finally settled on a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had to admit, he looked pretty good, but then, when he and Kim had first selected the tuxes, she had taken one look at him and declared, "Yum!" 

David scrutinized him carefully, then said, "He won’t embarrass Jan and Thomas." 

Tommy’s groomsmen and the ushers wore the same tuxedo as he; the only difference was that their boutonnières were purple roses and his was yellow. 

"And here I thought the two of you were here for moral support, not wisecracks," Tommy snorted in mock-disgust at the two comedians. 

"You’re not even nervous," David noted. "You’re the most composed groom I’ve ever seen." 

"Tommy, you’re so sure of yourself, you don’t need moral support," Jason observed dryly. 

"That’s because I know this is right. I have no doubts," Tommy claimed with conviction. "This is what I’ve waited forever for, and I can hardly wait." 

"So what does he need us for?" David asked of Jason, who shrugged. 

"To get him to the park on time?"

**~o0o~**

"Girl, Tommy’s not going to be able to remember his lines when he sees you coming down the aisle," Aisha declared as she put the finishing touches on Kimberly’s veil.

Kim’s wedding dress was simplicity itself: white matte satin with an off-the-shoulder neckline and empire bodice. The princess silhouette was set off by pearl beading on the neckline, waistline and hem, and the floor-length gown had little to no train. Her veil was a simple headband with pearl beading to match the dress, and the tulle fell to her waist. Her hair was brushed back and tucked into the band, otherwise it fell loosely about her shoulders. 

"Perhaps she should wear a cloak or something," Kat teased as she handed Kim her elbow-length gloves. "We don’t want Tommy’s infamous memory failing him today." 

Kim scarcely heard the banter as she dreamily recalled the previous evening. She and Tommy had made love in the gazebo until the stars were out and the moon high in the sky. They had totally forgotten about their rehearsal dinner; thankfully Tommy had told Jason that they were going to be late, at the very least. 

By the time they had the energy – and inclination – to leave the park, the wedding party had long since left the restaurant. Kim was supposed to have stayed with Kat and Aisha at the Hillards' house, so the three of them would have enough room to get ready. The hour had been so late that she had Tommy take her back to her apartment instead. However, when she arrived, she found her bridesmaids waiting for her. 

"Girls," Doris called, opening the door and poking her head inside. "The photographer is here, and so are your parents, Kim." 

"We’ll be right down," Kim answered, snapping out of her reverie. The professional photographer had come to the house to get some informal shots, and Doris and Robert had graciously allowed them to borrow their parlor since Kim’s family no longer lived in town. 

"Here’s your bouquet," Kat said, handing over a vibrant arrangement of yellow and orange tiger lilies, red, purple and yellow roses, orange mums, red bell flowers and greenery. Both Kat and Aisha had similar nosegays which played off their lavender gowns nicely. Their dresses were much like Kim’s gown: lavender matte satin, off-the-shoulder neckline, empire waists ... the differences being no pearl beading and the tea-length skirt. 

Kimberly had surprised everyone when she selected lavender and dove grey as her colors. They’d all assumed she’d go with pink. She’d been tempted, but as she and Kat began talking about dresses and flowers, she saw how much Kat had her heart set on pink, so she demurred, thinking two pink weddings in succession would be a bit much. Not that she minded in the least; purple had been her favorite color back when she was a little girl – ever since her grandmother had told her amethyst was her birthstone. 

"Do you have everything?" Kat queried. 

"Something old ...." Aisha prompted. 

Kim held up her right hand, showing off the antique rose ring that hadn’t left her finger since Tommy had put it there – until today. 

"Something new ...." Kat chimed in. 

Kim fingered the gold chain about her neck with the delicate cross – a surprisingly tasteful gift from her mother. 

"Something borrowed ...." the bridesmaids intoned simultaneously. 

Her fingers went to the simple yet exquisite pearl earrings Jan had loaned her. 

"Something blue." 

Kim frowned. She couldn’t think of anything she had with her that was blue, not even a blue bow on her garter. 

"Don’t worry; I have just the thing," Aisha announced. From her overnight bag, she removed a small animal figurine with a blue bow tied around its neck. 

"What ...?" Kim began, puzzled. However, once she saw what rested in Aisha’s palm, her eyes began to mist up. 

It was a miniature sabertooth tiger. 

"Oh, you guys ...." she stammered, her lower lip trembling as she bravely tried to hold back her tears. Although Kat was standing up with Jason and Aisha with David, neither of her dear friends would claim the title of Maid of Honor. They had jointly decided that the honor would remain Trini’s even though she was no longer with them. 

"Don’t cry, Kim; your mascara will run," Kat soothed even as she snatched up a tissue to dab away the moisture. 

"There," Aisha murmured. She had inserted the tiger into Kim’s bouquet. 

"You guys are the best," Kim sniffled happily.

**~o0o~**

Tommy waited out of sight of the gazebo, awaiting his cue. Through the concealing rushes, he could see Rocky, Billy and Zack seating the guests.

"Hey, look," Jason said in surprise, "It looks like Adam and Tanya were able to make it after all." 

Just then, David returned to the 'wings'. He’d been snapping some candid shots of the guests. He was primarily a nature photographer, but he still had a good eye for people as well. As he began putting up his equipment, he informed his companions, "The limo has arrived. Things will be starting soon." 

"Nervous yet?" Jason teased, noticing that Tommy was shifting from foot to foot anxiously. 

"I can’t wait to see Kim in her dress," was the reply, with a touch of a pout. "She wouldn’t even show me a picture of it." 

All too soon, the music started. Thankfully, Zack hadn’t switched the tape to "Her Strut" like he’d threatened last night! The minister took his position in the gazebo, and the trio made their way to their places. 

Aisha started down the aisle first; David met her three rows from the front and escorted her up the steps to inside of the flower-bedecked structure. 

Kat was next, and Tommy smiled at Jason, who was glowing with so much pride and love one would have thought him the lucky one being married. 

"Just wait ‘til next summer, bro," Tommy hissed just as Jason stepped forward to claim his fiancée’s arm. 

The music swelled into the wedding march, and Tommy stood a little straighter. He looked up the aisle for his first glimpse of Kimberly ... and it took his breath away. Suddenly, he was sixteen again, seeing her for the first time. Her eyes sparkled radiantly and the warmth of her smile penetrated into his heart and soul, lighting the darkest corners within him. And once again, he knew that she was the missing part of himself ... that she was his life. 

Kim felt the intensity of Tommy’s gaze as she glided down the aisle beside her father. She felt her insides turn to mush as his lips turned up in that shy, little-boy smile he’d first flashed her once upon a time, and his eyes shone with his love for her. It was all she could do to maintain her sedate walk when she really wanted to race down the aisle and throw herself into his arms. 

"Wow," Tommy stammered in a hushed whisper as Ken Hart placed Kim’s hand in his. It was all he had time for before they were standing before the minister. 

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today ...." 

Kim was grateful she and Tommy had exchanged private vows last night because she scarcely heard the words today as she lost herself in Tommy’s eyes, and he in hers. 

"Therefore, if any man can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him speak now or forever hold his peace ...." 

Tommy’s lips twitched, recalling Rocky’s threat that if anyone said a word against them, he’d punch their lights out. 

"Will you have this woman to be your wedded wife ...." 

Jason had to discreetly nudge Tommy when it came time to answer. 

"I will, with all my heart," Tommy ad-libbed. 

"Will you have this man to be your wedded husband ...." 

Kat had to do the same favor for Kim. 

"I will," she answered, gnawing at her lower lip in spite of the certainty in her heart. 

Though his hands were shaking, Tommy didn’t drop the ring as Jason handed it over. 

"With this ring, I thee wed," he intoned, sliding the plain gold band on her left hand. His words brought a fierce blush to Kim’s cheeks as they also brought other memories to mind. 

It took Kim a moment to collect herself before she could reciprocate. "With this ring, I thee wed." 

The minister joined their hands together and said, "What God has joined let no man put asunder." 

Before the benediction, David read a special blessing. 

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth. 

"Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulty and fear assail your relationship – as they threaten all relationships at one time or another – remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives – remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight." 

They allowed David’s blessing to settle into their hearts, basking in its warmth and already knowing something of its truth. Then, the minister spoke the final words of the ceremony, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." 

"I thought he’d never get to that part," Tommy murmured cheekily under his breath as he drew Kim close. 

"Behave! Remember, our parents are watching," she scolded him as she leaned into him. 

However, neither one held back once their lips touched. Their heated exchange lingered until Jason tactfully cleared his throat. When they parted, Tommy smiled knowingly, and Kimberly blushed crimson. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Oliver." 

The recessional music came to life, and Tommy and Kim headed down the aisle under a shower of soap bubbles. 

They stood in the receiving line for what seemed like an hour, though the guest list to the ceremony had been small. They accepted graciously all the handshakes, hugs, kisses and other tokens of congratulations. When at last the final well-wisher had moved on, Tommy claimed Kim’s arm. 

"Your chariot awaits, Beautiful." 

"I just hope Rocky and Zack went easy on the toilet paper," Kim said with a laugh. 

"I don’t think they’ll have had a chance to get at the real getaway car," Tommy commented slyly. 

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, glancing at him askance. 

"Behold, m’lady, your chariot." 

Kim gasped as her eyes followed his gesture. Just up ahead stood a white horse-drawn carriage, flowers like those in her bouquet decorating the sides. 

"Tommy!" she gasped with delight. This was one detail she hadn’t known about ahead of time. She smiled brilliantly as he handed her up into the open coach. 

Once they were settled, the driver flicked the reins, and they drove off amid a chorus of cheers and hearty laughter.

**~o0o~**

"I never did find out how they pulled _that_ off," Tommy concluded the tale, indicating David’s picture of them driving off into the sunset. The rear of the carriage boasted a festive sign declaring, "It’s About Time" instead of "Just Married".

"Making a guess at the likely culprits, I'm not sure you'd have wanted to know," Kat said dryly. 

"You may have a point there," Tommy conceded with an amused snort. "Zack and Rocky had enough of a field day on my bachelor party!" 

"It can't have been worse than Aisha's antics – both for Kim and for me." 

"Oh? And I guess I don't want to know about _that_ , either?" 

"Maybe when you're a little older, dear," Kat deadpanned, causing their children to groan at the age-old parental evasion. "Be content with the nice memories … and speaking of which, I think _my_ favorite memory of your and Kim’s wedding was at the reception," Kat began, laughing softly. "When your Aunt Elsa told Caroline off ...!" 

"... the expression on Caroline’s face was priceless!" Tommy chuckled. "Kim laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. What I wouldn’t have given to have had a picture of that!" 

"Who’s Aunt Elsa?" Jay wondered. He looked to Trini, and his sister was just as clueless as he. Their extended blood-family wasn’t so large that they didn’t know all the aunts and uncles at the very least. 

"Aunt Elsa was my great-aunt – my grandfather’s sister," Tommy explained. "She died a couple of years after you were born, Jay. She was in her nineties when she died ... and had a mind like a steel trap. Most of the family was terrified of her; she was a feisty, sharp-tongued old gal. I miss her." 

"What did she say to Grandma Caroline?" Trini wondered. 

"Caroline was complaining about the music – the one aspect of the reception she hadn’t been in control of," Kat supplied helpfully. "I can’t imagine why. Curtis – Zack’s cousin – played an incredible variety of tunes ... including polkas!" 

"Caroline made the mistake of voicing her complaints within Aunt Elsa’s striking distance," Tommy resumed with fond amusement. "Aunt Elsa wielded her cane like a master swordsman. She pounded it on the ground and nailed Caroline’s foot. Then she said, 'Put a sock in it, Caroline; this is a party, not a Broadway production. If you don’t like the music, go home. If not, shut up so the rest of us can hear it instead of your incessant griping'." 

Tommy’s mimicry of his aunt’s tone was near-perfect, and the kids broke into peals of merriment. 

"I bet Grandma Caroline was thoroughly put out," Jay snickered. Nobody dared talk back to his grandmother. 

"She was," Kat chuckled. 

"She was also secretly impressed," Tommy added. "She really took a liking to Aunt Elsa after that and was quite distraught when she died. Kim always thought Aunt Elsa must have reminded her mother of a beloved deceased relative or something." 

"I think I would have liked her," Trini decided. 

"I know she would have liked you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to ultimatewedding.com for the text to the Apache Blessing David speaks in this chapter. **CR/DB**


	15. A True Romantic

"Hey, this one's not sorted right," Ramon realized as he held up a picture that showed not their parents but Lynne and Jay posing in front of the Scott house. Lynne was wearing a stylish pants suit and holding a lovely bouquet of purplish flowers. "When was that?" 

"Let me see …" Jay took the photograph from his friend and brother-in-law, recognizing the scene instantly. "Oh, that was taken the morning after our wedding." 

"Which I missed because of that stupid airline strike in Mexico," Ramon grumbled. He'd been visiting relatives and because he'd thought it'd be quicker had deliberately flown down instead of driving – which, in hindsight, had been the worst choice of transportation he could have made. He'd been stuck at the airport in Mexico City for two days straight, with no chance of getting back home. Otherwise, wild horses couldn't have kept him away. 

"I knew I'd seen the flowers before," Rachel commented. 

Lynne had picked up the picture and looked at it with a fond smile. "Mom, you took this, didn't you?" 

"Yes," Kat confirmed. "If I remember right, you were all set to leave on your honeymoon." 

"Uh huh. Only, there was no way I was leaving without saying good-bye to Dad first." 

Trini suddenly giggled. "Wasn't that when you told us about your oh-so-unromantic wedding proposal, Aunt Kat?" 

"Unromantic? According to Dad, Uncle Jason was anything but," Ramon murmured. 

"Of course," Jasmine exclaimed, ignoring her brother-in-law's comment as she started to grin broadly at the memory. To Ramon and Rachel, who hadn't been part of the family then yet and were looking slightly bewildered, she explained, "You see, Lynne here wanted to bring the flowers she'd carried as a bride to church to her Dad; we all went along to the cemetery, and that's when we heard the story ...."

**~o0o~**

Silent tears flowed down Kat's cheeks as she watched Lynne place her bridal bouquet on Jason's grave. She and Jay had gotten married the day before, and instead of tossing the beautiful flower arrangement to her friends, she'd decided to bring it here before the two left on their honeymoon. The whole immediate family on both sides had gathered alongside the newlyweds – Kimberly, Tommy and Trini, Kat, Jared and Oliver together with his fiancée, lovely Jasmine Park.

Lynne placed the bouquet just -so- until the delicate blossoms in all shades from palest pink to deepest purple rested against the black marble, creating a wonderful contrast on the lush grass. 

"This is for you, Dad," she murmured. "I missed you more than ever yesterday; I so wish you could have been there with us." 

"I'm sure he was, Sweetie," Kat whispered, feeling the pain of her husband's passing anew. Not that it ever quite left her. "I just know that Jason was watching you yesterday, from wherever he is right now." 

Tommy cleared his throat, feeling rather choked up himself. He just _had_ to say something light, or he'd start bawling all over again. He knew how much his best friend had wanted to walk Lynne to the altar when the time had come to give her into another man's keeping. Instead, both John Scott and Robert Hillard had shared that task. 

"Yeah, he was probably sitting on his cloud, halo worn backwards like a baseball cap and boasting of how beautiful you looked as a bride. Telling every passing angel that it was _his_ daughter floating down the aisle." 

"Strumming his harp, too, no doubt," Jasmine ventured, recognizing the attempt for what it was and wanting to contribute. It hurt her to see her future family so sad. She'd hardly known Jason, as Adam and Tanya had lived on the East Coast for years before returning to California. She and the oldest Scott son had met at UCLA over a year ago, and their recent engagement was welcomed by both families. She was very much surprised, though, when her comment – along with the image Tommy's purposely silly remark had evoked – broke up the sombre mood quite effectively, with Tommy and the boys starting to grin broadly, Kim and the girls choking on rather shaky laughter and even Kat smiling through her tears. 

"Jason? Hardly," the widow said. "He was an absolute dear, never minded my music when I practiced, but while he was a pretty good dancer, he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket." 

"If whoever's in charge of the universe called Jason back so untimely early for his musical ability, they were in for a _big_ disappointment," Kim agreed with a chuckle. "Not that it ever stopped him from singing, though." 

"I remember," Lynne said softly, sharing a loving look with her brand-new husband. Their romance had started over just such a memory – when he'd comforted her for missing Jason's incessant (if off-key) caroling at Christmas. "I still wish I could have told him how much I've come to love Jay." 

The young man kissed his wife's cheek. "And I wish I could have told Uncle Jase that I'll always take care of Lynne." 

Kat leaned against Jared – at sixteen already as tall as Tommy, and the only one of her children to have inherited her coloring. Oliver was the spitting image of his father, and Lynne combined Jason's dark hair with Kat's porcelain skin and blue eyes – a fact Jason had always been ecstatic about. 

"He knows, I'm certain," Kat repeated. "And if I haven't told you before, he would have approved of you two getting married. Jason always liked, trusted and respected you, Jay. I doubt there's anyone else whom he would have thought good enough for his princess." 

Lynne sobbed softly once at the reminder of Jason's pet name for her. 

"Both of you have chosen well," Kimberly said, glancing fondly at her daughter-in-law. "In fact, when you all were babies your mom and I used to fantasize about our kids getting married to each other one day, especially as you were so close in age. Didn't we, Kat?" 

"We sure did," the blonde woman smiled, opening her purse for a tissue. She dried her cheeks. "But of course Oliver had to choose elsewhere. Not that I mind, dear," she hastened to assure Jasmine. "Quite the contrary." 

"No offense, Aunt Kat, but Oliver is too much like my own brother for me to ever fall in love with," Trini laughed before Jasmine could do more than smile a reply. "Bossy, opinionated, meddling, a veritable pain in the neck most of the time …" 

"Hey!" Both Jay and Oliver chorused indignantly, to everyone's amusement. But Trini blithely ignored them. 

"No, when I fall in love, it'll have to be with a true romantic – like Uncle Jase was. I can still remember all the lovely things he used to arrange for you on your anniversaries, Aunt Kat," she went on. "Like that dinner cruise along the coast one year." 

Kat nodded, feeling fresh tears threatening. That had been Jason's gift to her on their fifteenth wedding anniversary and it had been truly memorable – they'd dressed up in evening clothes, there had been wonderful food, dancing, moonlight on the ocean … almost as perfect and magical as their original wedding day. Which reminded her of something else. A soft light lit up her blue eyes as she disengaged herself from Jared's hold and stepped to the headstone, wiping an imaginary speck off the smooth surface in a fond, very wifely gesture. They'd never told this story to anyone; should she reveal it now? A glance at Lynne decided her; her daughter's eyes were still misty and shadowed with loss when they should be glowing with love and pride like on the day before. 

In the depths of her heart, Kat sent a mute question to her dead husband. _You don't mind, do you, love?_ After six years of mourning him, she didn't care anymore whether it was a figment of her imagination or just wishful thinking, but she was sure she felt a sense of agreement wash over her from _somewhere_ – as if Jason approved of her decision. It felt _right_. 

"Actually, Jason wasn't always such an inveterate romantic," she ruminated almost casually. 

"Sure he was," Kim protested. 

"Yeah; he never showed it much, only to those people closest to him, but Jase was the original softie of the gang," Tommy added. "Nothing but a big teddy bear under all those muscles." 

Jay nudged his best friend. "Better give me some pointers, Bro; I think I may need them later," he muttered under his breath. Oliver nodded while both Jasmine and Lynne couldn't suppress a slight conspiratorial smile. Their mates certainly seemed able to recognize a hint. 

Katherine grinned almost impishly. "I didn't say he wasn't. It's one of the things I loved about him. But … girls … in a man/woman relationship, what would you say is about _the_ most romantic moment until the wedding?" 

Lynne, Trini and Jasmine looked slightly baffled. "When he tells you he loves you for the first time?" Jasmine suggested at last. 

"When you realize it's for real?" Trini asked, on uncertain ground because it hadn't happened to her yet. 

Lynne nodded. "Both – and of course when he proposes," she added, sharing a smile with Jay. Then, she lifted incredulous eyes to her mother. "Are you saying that Dad botched these occasions?" 

"Just one," Kat confirmed. "I couldn't have wished for better memories than I have for the first two, but Jason's proposal … let's say it left a lot to be desired in the romance department," she divulged. 

"So _that's_ why you never told anyone," Kimberly exclaimed. "I've always wondered." 

"Uh huh." 

The petite woman planted herself in front of her taller friend, hands on her hips. "Well, girl, you better tell us all _now_ ," she ordered peremptorily, a challenge in her doe-brown eyes. "Or I'll sic Tanya, Aisha _and_ Rocky on you to nag until you do!" 

Kat pretended to shudder. "Anything but that! Very well, then." She looked at each eager face in turn, seeing the lively curiosity mingled with affection in her loved ones' eyes. It made it very easy to share this particular memory. 

"It was on Boxing Day 2002; you know that December 26 is a holiday in Australia, right? Anyway, even though it's not the custom here, my father habitually took the day off to spend with family. Usually it was just the three of us – he, Mum and myself – but Jason and I had been dating for over a year, and I'd invited him to spend the day…"

**~o0o~**

Jason leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh as he placed his spoon in the empty crystal dessert dish.

"Thank you; this was excellent," he complimented his hostess. "You're a wonderful cook, Mrs. Hillard." 

"I agree, Mum. This was one of the best Christmas dinners ever," Katherine added, smiling warmly at her mother. 

"You're both quite welcome," the older woman replied, clearly pleased that her efforts in the kitchen were appreciated. "It was only leftovers from yesterday, but …" 

Jason chuckled. "My grandmother Scott always used to say that a cook's real mettle showed in how she managed to make something out of nothing. This was certainly more than nothing – and if I may say so, you made _something_ out of it alright!" 

"Granny Agatha said much the same thing," Robert Hillard added. "Living in the outback as she did, inventiveness was a necessity for more than cooking." 

"I can imagine," Kat replied, flashing back to her meeting with her ancestor during her quest for her Zeo shard. "From everything I heard, she was quite a woman." 

"A character, more like," Robert said dryly. "For her time, she was very much advanced, or so my father used to tell me. Independent, sweet but strong-minded … one of the first women to drive a car, living by herself most of her life, expecting everyone around her to be the best they could be … I loved hearing stories about her, but to tell the truth, deep down she scared me to death!" 

Doris Hillard laughed, along with Jason and Katherine. "Well, if she really was the way I've heard tell, she wouldn't approve of us sitting here with all the dirty dishes staring us in the face. I guess I better clear things up before I start the coffee, if that's okay with everyone?" She got up and began stacking dishes. 

"Of course, Mum; we'll help," Kat agreed readily, reaching for the meat platter. "Jase, there's a tray next to the sideboard; will you bring the glasses?" 

"Sure." Used to lending a hand, Jason stood as well, ignoring Doris's automatic protest. He smiled at the older woman, who had passed on both her lovely looks and gentle character to his girlfriend. "Don't worry; my mother would read me the riot act but good if I just sat around watching you and Kat work." 

"We'll both help," Mr. Hillard decided, nodding to himself in quiet satisfaction. He'd expected nothing less from the friends his daughter had made here in Angel Grove – a well-mannered, polite crowd, all of them. And Jason certainly was no exception; he very much approved of Kat's choice in boyfriends. _Come to think of it, Tommy Oliver was just like that, too. She has good taste in men, my little girl has._ "You and Kat take care of what's left while Jason and I clear the table and set the dining room to order." He suited action to words, and soon all four were busily going back and forth with china, cutlery, dirty napkins and the like. 

Mrs. Hillard was putting leftover turkey into Tupperware containers, her husband was scraping the plates and stacking them while Kat filled the sink with hot water, added detergent and began washing the stemware first. She smiled over her shoulder at Jason when he brought the tray with the delicate glass bowls and gave him a quick kiss. 

"Thanks. I'll do those as soon as I'm done with the glasses. There are clean dish towels in the left-hand drawer over there; you can dry while I wash." She would never admit it out loud, not yet, but doing little domestic things like this with Jason filled her with quiet pleasure despite the mundaneness of the task. It made her feel quite … wifely. Especially since she'd scraped back her hair into a loose ponytail to keep it from falling into her eyes while she worked and had wrapped herself in an old pinafore to protect her winter-white sweater dress from getting soiled. She'd commented laughingly on the frumpiness of her appearance, but practicality had won out. At least Jason hadn't recoiled in horror as he'd seen her. Surely if he didn't mind her present appearance, it meant that he cared enough to eventually … Kat stopped herself from thinking further. 

_Don't go there, girl! Wait until he asks you – if he ever does!_

"No problem," Jason agreed readily, wishing he could kiss Kat back – much more thoroughly than the peck on the cheek she'd just delivered. But while he knew _she_ wouldn't mind, he was feeling just a little shy around her parents. Not that the Hillards were stuffy or anything, and he knew he was welcome in their house – even as Kat's boyfriend – but they were just a tad more formal than his own parents. Not enough to make him uncomfortable in any way, and he'd certainly learned enough about proper etiquette through Kim and Trini and his time at the Peace Conference, but Jason doubted that smooching publicly with the daughter of the house was quite acceptable. After all, they were supposed to be responsible adults now, not teenagers anymore in whom such behaviour might be overlooked. 

_If our relationship was official, it might be different,_ he mused. _I wish I knew how Kat feels about this. Sure, we're getting along great and I know I love her, but we haven't been dating all that long yet. What if she needs more time? What if she's still not quite over Tommy? Or what if she's decided to give up on teaching and go back to touring for another year, or even move back to Australia, to accept that offer from the Sydney Opera? I don't want her to go away again, not when I've just realized she's the one for me …_

Those were the thoughts running through Jason's mind as he finished with the crystal and reached for the first of the dripping plates, trying to find a dry corner on his towel. Deciding he would have to get a fresh one after he was done, he grimaced as he wiped the delicately-patterned china. 

"Of all the chores Mom made me do around the house, I detest doing the dishes most," he muttered. 

Doris laughed. "I hear you. But for all that, you polished the crystal very well; the glasses positively sparkle." She handed him the tray with the clean glassware, to carry back to the dining room cabinet. 

"Thanks," Jason grinned, grateful that his small grumble was accepted so easily. Carefully, he balanced the heavy tray, not wanting to break anything. He took a step towards the door. "But I know one thing – as soon as Kat and I are married, I'll buy her a dishwasher," he said over his shoulder. 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jason froze in his tracks and wanted to bite his tongue. _I can't believe I said that!_ Closing his eyes, he counted to ten, then, as if in slow motion, he turned back. 

The cheery clatter in the kitchen came to a sudden halt as three heads swivelled in his direction. Kat let the bowl she was rinsing sink back into the sudsy water with a small splash, her blue eyes widening with surprise. Had she heard right? 

Doris and Robert exchanged an incredulous glance. The older man cleared his throat. His grey eyes suddenly bore into Jason's dark ones. 

"Did … did you just say _married_???" 

Jason felt his face heat up. He gulped once, suddenly afraid he might have ruined the very thing he wanted most. He didn't dare look at Kat, fearing she'd kick him out there and then, but he met her father's sharp look without flinching as he deposited his load back on the kitchen table and fought the urge to hide his suddenly shaking hands. 

"Yes, sir." His deep voice was deceptively calm, not betraying anything of the quaking he was feeling inside. 

"You … you want to marry my daughter?!?" 

A sudden calm came over the broad-shouldered martial artist. He squared his shoulders and stood very straight, seeking out his girlfriend's face. It was up to her now. 

"If Kat will have me," he replied simply. _Please, God!_

"Kitty???" Doris breathed, incredulous and more than slightly stunned at this unexpected development. The old pet name from Kat's childhood rose instinctively to her lips. This was her baby they were talking about; she couldn't possibly be old enough to be thinking of marriage yet! Could she? Doris looked back and forth from Kat to Jason, like a spectator at a tennis match, trying to gauge if it was true. 

Katherine just looked at Jason, trying to read his eyes. In the dark depths, gazing at her so steadily from across the room, she found everything she'd ever hoped and dreamed of. Her cheeks slowly suffused with a pink blush as her pulse sped up to impossible heights, while at the same time her heart filled with a peace and surety she'd never known before. Her own eyes took on a deep sapphire hue and she heard herself answer as if from a great distance. 

"Yes, of course." 

Both young people slowly exhaled breaths they hadn't been aware of holding. The dies were cast – and they'd both won. Now that the immediate surprise was wearing off, they were both hard-pressed to keep silly, fatuous smiles off their faces. Thankfully, they were aided by Mrs. Hillard's exclamation. 

"But I had no idea …!" 

Kat lowered her lids demurely. "We haven't talked about it to anyone yet," she murmured, hoping that the slight tremor in her voice wouldn't be noticed. 

_Like, to each other,_ was what she thought. 

"We, ah, we wanted it to be a surprise," Jason added, sounding a bit unsteady now, too. 

_And nobody's more surprised than me. Well … and Kat._

"Well, it's a surprise alright," Robert grumped, but it was easy to tell that he wasn’t really displeased with the news. "I guess this means we break open the champagne I put on ice for New Year's Eve a few days early." 

"Oh my, yes," Doris gushed, hurrying to the sink and pulling her daughter into a fierce hug. "Kitty, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" 

"Thanks, Mum," Kat smiled, feeling giddy all of a sudden. She wanted to hug her mother back, but her hands were dripping with dishwater. She held them out awkwardly and mock-scowled at Jason, who shrugged minutely and managed to look both very sheepish and glad. 

"Why don't we finish up quickly here and then Jase can call his parents? I think they ought to be here to celebrate with us," she suggested, taking pity on … her fiancé? 

_Oh, YES!_

"Of course they'll have to come. And if you ladies don't mind finishing without us, I believe Jason and I ought to have a talk," Robert announced, placing a firm hand on the young man's back and steering him towards the living room. 

"Uh-oh," Jason muttered, sending Kat a slightly apprehensive look which she answered with a brilliant smile and encouraging nod. Marginally reassured, he followed Mr. Hillard. He knew he had nothing really to fear; while he couldn't offer Kat great riches, he was secure enough in his chosen profession to be well able to afford a wife and – eventually – a family.

**~o0o~**

Things went very fast after that. There really wasn't all that much to talk about between the men; after all, Kat's father had known Jason for several years already and was aware of his financial situation and most of his plans for the future. He just wanted to make sure, like any good father would, that his daughter's husband-to-be was honest about his feelings. Jason certainly was that.

Kat and her mother finished cleaning the kitchen in record time, then Mrs. Hillard went off to fix her hair and wardrobe before the senior Scotts arrived. Katherine – sans ponytail and pinafore once more – was fixing a coffee/tea trolley in expectation of their arrival, when Jason snuck back into the sunny kitchen. He paused by the door, looking at Kat with an indescribable expression on his face. To his mind, she'd never looked lovelier than she did now, wearing a tea-length slim skirt with matching turtleneck shirt, the only decoration a waist-long necklace of pale pink rose-quartz beads – his Christmas present to her. 

She straightened from what she was doing and returned the look with interest, watching outwardly dispassionate as he blushed almost as red as the cashmere polo shirt he wore. 

Jason swallowed hard; he knew he'd messed things up, even if they had turned out so very right after all. "Uh, Kat, I …" he rubbed his hand across his chin, at a loss for words. 

With just a hint of exasperation, Kat shook her head. 

"You know … like most girls, I've had my fantasies of how and when I'd get my first marriage proposal," she said almost casually, moving slowly towards him with gently swaying hips. The movement seemed to mesmerize Jason, who could hardly tear his eyes off her. It made Kat feel just the tiniest bit smug as she stopped maybe three feet away. "But of all the scenarios I envisioned, none came even _close_ to what happened." 

Jason blushed even deeper. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "Trust me, I didn't mean to blurt it like that, either. It just sort of slipped out before I could stop myself." 

"Why?" 

"Because I was thinking about it at the time," he admitted. "Or more precisely, I was thinking that I didn't want to lose you – ever. Not to another guy, to touring or you moving away. You're not going back to Australia, are you?" Jason asked, suddenly anxious. 

Slowly, the blonde dancer shook her head no just once. 

"I don't believe in long-distance engagements," she stated simply, gratified at the breath of obvious relief Jason let go. 

"Neither do I." 

The two stared at each other. Finally, Jason closed the last bit of distance between them. He took her hand in his, kissed the back, then held her palm against his cheek. Kat could feel the first traces of five o'clock shadow on his skin and fought the temptation to run her fingers through his short dark hair. 

"Did you mean it?" Jason asked in a low voice, the loving timbre sending a shiver down her spine. 

"Mean what?" she queried back, her own voice slightly throaty with emotion. Their eyes were locked together as if each was trying to look to the very bottom of the other's heart and soul. 

"When you said yes." 

"Uh huh. Did you?" 

Jason never answered. He simply pulled Kat into his arms and kissed her, his lips saying everything that needed to be said and what she wanted to hear without a single word spoken between them. Kat replied in kind, melting into his arms as if she had always belonged there. 

Only the need for oxygen eventually managed to break them apart. More than a little breathless, Jason buried his face in her flaxen hair. 

"I love you, you know that?" 

"I was hoping you might. Because it's mutual," she whispered, feeling light as a feather with happiness, snuggling as close as she could. 

_I wish I could translate this into a dance!_ But the thought was fleeting; she very definitely did _not_ want to be on a stage right now, but in Jason's strong embrace, close to his heart which beat in his broad chest in time with hers. Suddenly, said chest began to rumble and vibrate. Surprised, Kat raised her head from Jason's shoulder. He was … laughing? 

"What's so funny?" 

Jason tried to compose himself, but another chuckle escaped him. Ruefully, he kissed the rosy lips once more. 

"I don't even have a ring to give you," he admitted. "I forgot to ask Dad to get it from the office safe on his way here." 

"You already bought a ring?" Kat wondered. 

"No, not bought – it's a family heirloom I hope you'll like," Jason explained. "I always thought it'd suit you perfectly – an Art Déco design. Some sort of stylised flower, with tiny pearls, diamond splitters ... and opals." 

Kat flushed with pleasure. "Australian opals?" she hoped, smiling brilliantly when he nodded. "Oh, I'm sure I'll love it!" 

"Yeah well, I just wish I had it with me right now," Jason sighed, then grimaced comically as he leaned back in for another kiss. "Can anything about our engagement go more wrong?" he murmured against Kat's lips. 

As if on cue, a car door slammed shut outside the Hillards' house. The two heard the front door open and Doris greeting Helen and John Scott. Jason groaned and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Kat's. 

"I need to tell my folks their timing absolutely stinks," he groused. "I can't even kiss you in peace!" 

Beginning to laugh helplessly, Kat stopped him with a gentle fingertip against his mouth. 

"There'll be other times," she promised with a look that made his blood simmer. 

"There better be!" 

Reluctantly, they separated, but continued to hold hands as they moved towards the door. Just before they left the kitchen, Kat sent a teasing glance towards her fiancé. 

"About those 'other times' we just mentioned ...?" 

"Yes? What about them?" Jason asked, somewhat baffled. 

"You'll get them," she promised with a sultry look. "On one condition, that is." 

"I'll get your ring out of the safe and bring it to you first thing in the morning," he assured her. "Or even tonight, if you want." 

"Oh, I'm not worried about the ring," Kat said airily. "I trust you on _that_." 

Confused, Jason shook his head. "Then what?" 

"You better not forget about that dishwasher!"

**~o0o~**

"And he didn't," Kat concluded her tale. "I had one right from the day we got married."

Her audience laughed appreciatively. 

"Oh, that's so sweet, Mom," Lynne sniffled, smiling through the remnants of her tears. "Thanks for sharing this with us!" 

Kimberly shook her head in disbelief. "I'd have expected something like that from Rocky maybe, or even Tommy or Zack, but certainly not Jason," she huffed, ignoring her tall husband's protest. "Did Jase ever really _ask_ you to marry him?" 

Solemnly, but with a twinkle in her blue eyes, Kat moved her head from side to side in an unmistakable 'no'. 

"No wonder you never told anyone!" 

"Why wouldn't you though?" Jared wondered. He was too young to understand yet, so his sister, future sister-in-law and Trini spared him anything but slightly pitying looks. He wasn't so lucky with his older brother, though. Before he could duck out of the way, he'd earned himself a noogie. "OW!" 

"Behave, boys," Kat said automatically, using a tone she – and every mother in the world – had perfected years ago. 

"Blockhead," Oliver chided his sibling with brotherly affection. 

"Yeah, don't you know _anything_?" Jay asked, feeling immeasurably superior as a married man of one day. 

"No, and if nobody tells me, I'll never learn!" 

"Be nice, boys," Jasmine and Lynne literally chorused, causing a fit of giggles in both young women. The older generation smiled indulgently. Finally, Tommy took pity on the youngest Scott. 

"Think, Jared. Haven't you realized yet that for the important occasions in their lives, women want to look their best – want everything to be just perfect?" he asked the youngster gently. 

Having recently lived through his sister's wedding preparations, Jared groaned and nodded. "Oh, right! Duh!" 

Katherine smiled nostalgically. She was still touching Jason's grave marker, as if that brought her closer to him. 

"Exactly. In my fantasies, I used to picture moonlight, soft music, elegant clothes and just Jason and myself. As it turned out, I got dirty dishes, soapy hands, a pinafore as old as the pyramids, and my parents as an audience instead." 

"How … unromantic," Jasmine snickered, torn between laughter and pity on her mother-in-law's behalf. 

"That's what I said," Kat replied, very much unruffled. "And very much not like Jason, even then. But you know something? I wouldn't change it if I could." She nodded once, leaving her memories in the past and returned to the present with a will. 

"And speaking of change – isn't it high time you two got to the airport?" she asked Lynne and Jay. "Or do you want to spend your honeymoon here?" 

Lynne cast one glance at her watch, squealed in horror and tugged her husband away from Jason's grave towards the exit and the cars, their respective siblings giving chase immediately. 

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Bye, Uncle Tommy/Aunt Kim," floated back towards the three friends, who followed their offspring at a more sedate pace. Just before a bend in the road took it from her view, Kat looked at the headstone once more. Unconsciously, she rubbed the delicate stylised lily blossom she still wore together with her wedding band, the three scintillating opals smooth under her fingertips. 

"Good bye until next time, love. Thank you for giving me a beautiful, unique memory. And the dishwasher."

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, we’d like to credit some sources of information, like _Demetrios Brides_ , Pronuptia and _Weddings and Flowers_ for our inspiration with dresses and flowers; _Ultimate Weddings.com_ for vows exchanged, and _El Funaroverse_ for screencaps of Thuy Trang's funeral, _Chris Doolaege’s website_ and _lyrics.com_ for some song lyrics, and the websites for Nascar and The Royal Ballet School, London for their helpful information on schedules. (There was also a website for info on Buddhist funeral rites, but unfortunately we lost the name/link!) Also, dialogue was borrowed from some Ranger episodes – we’re sure you’re all familiar with those. 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed the ride. Feedback is love!


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